Harry Kane was redeemed for the umpteenth time, justified once more in the face of new worries about his age and durability, as he scored two golden goals in golden boots on a night when he was awarded a golden cap.
Kane became the tenth player to reach 100 appearances for England as he started this Nations League triumph over Finland at Wembley Stadium, a milestone commemorated with a golden cap presentation by fellow centurions Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard prior to the game.
The England captain was anxious for a goal to elevate the occasion, especially after some poor performances in the European Championship this summer and a lethargic performance against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday had prompted some to advocate for his dismissal.
These calls were ludicrous. Kane has proven naysayers wrong throughout a long international career littered with individual milestones, and he did it again on Tuesday, scoring two exquisite second-half goals to erase Finland’s persistent resistance.
They were his 67th and 68th goals for his country, an impressive accomplishment by any measure. Kane had stated on the eve of the match that he hoped to add to his 100 caps by scoring 100 goals. He is such a consistent scorer for club and country that betting against him would be crazy.
+10View gallery
Harry Kane enjoyed reaching 100 England caps as his side cruised to victory against Finland
+10View gallery
The 31-year-old was presented with a golden cap by Frank Lampard prior to kick-off
He isn’t afraid to do things differently. An hour before kick-off, before Wembley Stadium said its heartfelt goodbyes to former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who died last month, Carsley strolled out onto the pitch alone and began methodically positioning a row of footballs in a line on the turf.
He checked his watch every now and again, and for a brief while, he stood with his arms folded across his chest, staring up at one of the large screens, which showed Jack Grealish scoring England’s second goal in the 2-0 victory over Ireland in Dublin.
Carsley remained there for a while, arms folded, staring around the stadium as if it was filling up, watching the goalkeepers warm up, still alone, waiting for the rest of his England players to emerge from the tunnel.
After the presentations to Kane, Carsley’s team proceeded methodically and confidently, and while the Finns threatened sometimes, they were never likely to spoil Kane’s night.
Kane could have scored his 100th cap within the first four minutes when Gordon, who was a persistent threat in the early stages, twisted his full back one way and then the other and floated a cross to the back post where the England captain was unmarked.
For once, Kane appeared to be torn between trying for a goal and heading the ball across the six-yard box to Bukayo Saka. He picked the unselfish option, but the Finland defence cleared his nod down before it reached the Arsenal wide man.
+10View gallery
The visitors defended resolutely in the early going to keep the game level at the interval
+10View gallery
Lee Carsley’s side started to turn up the tempo after coming out for the second half
+10View gallery
Kane came close with a fantastic shot but was stopped by a brilliant save by Lukas Hradecky.
Kane did get a shot off midway through the half, but it was well saved by Finland custodian Lukas Hradecky. When the ball broke loose, Finland broke quickly, with Topi Keskinen curling a shot narrowly wide.
It was a rare push forward by England’s opponents. It was almost the only time they had broken out of their own half, and aside from a Kane header that was called offside, they thwarted Carsley’s side with their massed defence.
+10View gallery
The Bayern Munich star finally got his goal on 56 minutes, striking home from inside the box
+10View gallery
He then added a second to his tally after a deft delivery from debutant Noni Madueke
