Kane becomes England's most-capped man and beats Croatia
· BehindLines newsroom
On Thursday 12 November 2026 at Wembley, Harry Kane played his 126th match for England and became his country's most-capped men's player, ahead of goalkeeper Peter Shilton. He then scored the winning penalty (2-1) against Croatia in the Nations League, according to Sky Sports and The Guardian.
A night of tributes before kick-off
The Guardian reports that the captain walked onto the pitch with his four children. A huge tifo behind one goal hailed him as "England's finest", and he held up his Ballon d'Or in front of the crowd. The British daily says Shilton, Luka Modric and Prince William then presented him with gifts: a small keepsake, a replica of the first ball brought to Croatia in 1880 and a framed commemorative shirt. Sky Sports mentions tributes before the Group A3 fixture for the Ballon d'Or holder.
A choppy match settled by a penalty
Morgan Rogers opened the scoring in the first half (24th minute, per Sky Sports). Kane had set up Jude Bellingham; Josko Gvardiol failed to clear and Rogers scored from close range. The two outlets describe Bellingham's contribution differently: a volley for The Guardian, a cross for Sky Sports. BBC Sport notes that it was Rogers's third senior goal for England.
Croatia equalised shortly before the hour: from a Croatian corner, a header by Jarell Quansah towards Jordan Pickford was intercepted by Petar Sucic, who scored. Soon afterwards, from an English corner, Ivan Smolcic pulled Quansah by the shirt; after a video check, referee Morten Krogh awarded a penalty, according to Sky Sports. Kane converted it in the 64th minute, the same outlet says. It was his 92nd goal for England and his 27th successful penalty, according to The Guardian.
The closing stages were tense: Nikola Vlasic shot wide in the 82nd minute, both outlets report. They also mention an English goal by James Garner ruled out for offside, but describe it slightly differently: The Guardian speaks of an offside flag against Bellingham, Sky Sports of a Garner goal disallowed in the 86th minute.
Reactions
Head coach Thomas Tuchel judged the performance acceptable overall, telling Sky Sports that it took a quarter of an hour to adapt to the pressing of a Croatia side lined up with five defenders, and that the team then went through two short untidy spells. Kane called the evening incredible and thanked those who had organised it.
Why it matters
The win guarantees England a place in the Nations League quarter-finals, to be played in March, The Guardian notes. On Sunday they go to Madrid to face Spain, the world champions and group leaders, according to Sky Sports: a win would leave them a chance of finishing first, which would make them seeded for the draw, that outlet says.