November 13, (THEWILL) – After thrashing Albania 5-0 at Wembley, England only needs one more point from their trip to San Marino next week to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
Gareth Southgate’s team leads Poland by three points but has a better goal difference entering into the last round of qualifiers, and even the most surprising of defeats may still see the Three Lions qualify for next winter’s tournament in Qatar.
Reece James’ free-kick was met by the head of Harry Maguire, and the Manchester United captain propelled England into the lead.
Nearly immediately after the kick-off, Phil Foden had a golden chance to make it two, but his effort flew high and wide.
Myrto Uzuni was put through on Jordan Pickford by Kyle Walker’s errant back pass, but the Everton goalkeeper stood firm and denied him from close range.
After 18 minutes, England extended their lead as James, Phil Foden, and Jordan Henderson teamed up in the right channel, and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson’s cross was touched in by Harry Kane.
The Three Lions added a third when Henderson darted forward from midfield to connect up with Kane and score a goal of his own, before Kane registered his brace with a powerful finish from a tight angle.
Kane completed his hat trick with a spectacular scissor kick from Phil Foden’s corner as England led 5-0 at halftime.
After the break, the Spurs striker had a half-chance to score, but he could not keep his effort down, while James had a fantastic chance to score when he was put through by Jude Bellingham, but he misjudged his shot.
In front of a sell-out Wembley crowd, Emile Smith Rowe made his senior England debut in the closing moments as Southgate’s team cruised to victory.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
