Kane Breaks England Caps Record and Scores Winner as Three Lions Beat Croatia 2-1

LONDON, November 12, 2026 — Harry Kane marked a record 126th England cap with the winning goal as the Three Lions beat Croatia 2-1 at Wembley, sealing a place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals on a night written around their captain.

Kane, 33, moved clear of Peter Shilton’s long-standing mark of 125 appearances when he led the side out for the Group A3 meeting, becoming the most-capped player in England men’s history. He then scored his 92nd international goal, a 64th-minute penalty, to restore the lead after Croatia had equalised. England Football confirmed the landmark and the goal tally, which leaves Kane 39 clear of Wayne Rooney, the country’s second-highest scorer.

The pre-match ceremonies belonged to the Bayern Munich striker, who last month became the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001. England Football said Kane showed the trophy to the Wembley crowd and was handed a commemorative shirt by Shilton and the Prince of Wales, while Croatia captain Luka Modric presented a gift from the Croatian Football Federation. Kick-off was at 7.45pm.

Morgan Rogers gave England a 24th-minute lead. According to the official match report, Kane’s diagonal cross from the left picked out Jude Bellingham, whose first-time ball back across goal was scrambled in by Rogers from close range. Thomas Tuchel’s side led 1-0 at half-time, but the visitors were level just shy of the hour. Petar Sucic finished in the 59th minute after England failed to deal with a corner, poking a loose ball past Jordan Pickford and into the roof of the net.

The response took only five minutes. Jarell Quansah was hauled down by Ivan Smolcic, and after a VAR review referee Morten Krogh pointed to the spot. Kane sent the penalty straight down the middle. It was, England Football noted, his seventh goal of the 2026-27 Nations League campaign.

England held on through a nervy finish. Nikola Vlasic struck inches wide with nine minutes remaining, James Garner had a goal ruled out for offside, and substitute Ante Budimir headed narrowly over in added time. The win, the official report said, set up a meeting with Spain on Sunday to decide who will advance as winners of Group A3. England had beaten Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka earlier in October.

Kane, speaking afterwards, thanked those who arranged the tributes. “It was incredible. Everything was amazing. Thank you to everyone who organised [the build-up], with the tifo and presentations. Thank you to Luka [Modric] and Croatia for their gift,” he told Sky Sports. “I knew there would be something before the game. It’s been a crazy few weeks with a lot happening, but it’s an important moment in our history as a national team. But once the game started it was full focus. These occasions feel much better when you win and now I can take a breath and enjoy this.”

Tuchel described the display as “an okay performance overall” and said England had been “a bit sloppy” before being “punished from a set-piece”, but praised the reaction that followed. Rogers, who scored the opener, told The Guardian: “He scores the goal as he always does. Not much is new – a lovely night for him and his family.”

The numbers behind the record are now a matter of official history. England Football lists Kane with 126 appearances, 112 starts and 84 wins, and notes that his cap against Croatia was his 28th in the Nations League. He is also the national team’s record goalscorer, having overtaken Rooney in March 2023. On Thursday night, the new appearance record and another winning goal arrived together.

Source: England Football match report; England Football career numbers; Sky Sports; The Guardian.

Credit : England Football

About The Author

Bard AI

See author's posts