3 weeks ago
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Harry Kane scored doubly arsenic England secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup aft a 5-0 thrashing of Latvia connected Tuesday.
Anthony Gordon opened the scoring successful Riga earlier Kane took his tally for nine and state this play to 21 goals successful 13 games.
A Maksims Tonisevs own-goal and Eberechi Eze’s onslaught rounded disconnected the scoring arsenic the Three Lions guaranteed apical spot successful Group K of UEFA qualifying with 2 games to spare.
Thomas Tuchel has completed his archetypal task with easiness arsenic his broadside became the archetypal European federation to qualify.
England person won each six of their qualifiers since the German took charge, scoring 18 goals without conceding.
“It comes seldom that you suffice for a World Cup, truthful the temper is very, precise good,” said Tuchel. “In the dressing room, it’s each smiles, music. It’s a infinitesimal to bask due to the fact that it’s a peculiar moment.”
After a dilatory commencement to Tuchel’s reign with unconvincing victories implicit Albania and Andorra, positive a affable decision to Senegal successful June, England person clicked into cogwheel implicit the past 2 planetary breaks.
“Of people we expect america to triumph against Latvia, but the mode we won archetypal of each gives america a batch of satisfaction,” added Tuchel.
“We did it six retired of six wins, six cleanable sheets. We are determination and to person this feeling is simply a precise unsocial feeling.”
Tuchel’s determination to permission retired fit-again Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden from his squad this period was questioned.
But the erstwhile Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain brag has been rewarded for implementing continuity with his selection.
Gordon is 1 of those to payment from a tally of games connected the near of a beforehand three.
The Newcastle winger opened the floodgates erstwhile helium chopped wrong to curl into the acold country for conscionable his 2nd England extremity connected 26 minutes.
– ‘Building momentum’ –
Kane had uncharacteristically missed a glorious aboriginal accidental erstwhile helium steered a Gordon transverse wide.
The Bayern Munich striker soon recovered his scope with 2 goals successful 4 minutes astatine the extremity of the archetypal fractional to instrumentality his planetary tally to 76 successful 110 caps.
Despite losing his balance, Kane steered a changeable into the acold country disconnected his weaker near ft to treble England’s lead.
Kane past accepted the acquisition of a brushed punishment grant for holding of his garment by Latvia skipper Antonijs Cernomordijs.
“I spoke earlier astir gathering momentum, nary substance who we play,” said Kane.
“We clasp connected to that. Hold connected to winning games, to cleanable sheets, to pressing high, scoring goals and we’ve done each of that.”
England were capable to seashore done the 2nd play contempt 5 substitutions disrupting the visitors’s attacking flow.
The 4th extremity was a self-inflicted stroke by Latvia arsenic the shot looped into his ain nett disconnected Tonisevs aft goalkeeper Krisjanis Zviedris failed to link with Djed Spence’s cross.
Eze was 1 of those introduced aft the interruption and the Arsenal playmaker rounded disconnected the scoring with a good tally and decorativeness connected 86 minutes.
England person not failed to suffice for a World Cup since it was past successful the USA backmost successful 1994.
The hard enactment for Tuchel present starts successful trying to present his adopted nation’s archetypal large trophy since 1966.
Hard decisions prevarication up with Bellingham, Foden, Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer among those not adjacent successful the travelling squad to Riga.
But England volition question crossed the Atlantic successful June among the favourites to triumph a archetypal ever World Cup connected overseas soil.
The station England suffice for World Cup with rout of Latvia appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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