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Kane double seals perfect World Cup qualification for England
Reuters, Tirana
Published: 5h ago
Reuters Photo
England captain Harry Kane poached a late double for his side to complete a record-setting World Cup qualification campaign with a hard-earned 2-0 victory away to Albania in Group K on Sunday.
It had looked like England might drop their first points, but Kane tapped home from close range in the 74th minute when Albania failed to deal with a corner.
He then made it 2-0 eight minutes later with a clinical header from substitute Marcus Rashford's deep cross.
In keeping a clean sheet, Thomas Tuchel's side became the first European nation to qualify for a World Cup by winning all their games without conceding a goal in a group featuring at least six games.
England also became just the fifth European team to qualify for a World Cup with a 100% record after finishing Group K with a maximum 24 points from their eight games, scoring 22 goals.
"It was a really tough game, probably one of the toughest we've had in the group," said Kane, who has scored an astonishing 28 goals for club and country this season.
"We had to be patient, we had to grind them down and be defensively really solid. A 2-0 win and another clean sheet, we're really happy. It was an important win, you don't want to finish with a loss," he added to ITV Sport.
With their spot in North America long since guaranteed, Tuchel made a host of changes for the clash against a lively Albania side who will take their chances in the playoffs after finishing as group runners-up.
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