- The Bayern Munich star and Marcus Rashford were on target in England’s 3-1 win
- The Three Lions needed just a point to qualify against the Azzurri
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast ‘It all begins!’
Harry Kane has praised his England teammates for ‘keeping calm’ to secure their qualification for the 2024 European Championship as he became the country’s top scorer at Wembley.
The Three Lions needed just one more point to secure qualification against the Azzurri as Group C rivals Italy and Ukraine still had to face each other in qualifying.
The Bayern Munich striker and Marcus Rashford were both on target as Gareth Southgate’s side played dominantly and came from behind against the Euro 2020 winners.
Kane’s two goals also saw him break Bobby Charlton’s 1970 record for most goals scored at Wembley.
“It’s never as easy as it looks, we’ve had a really tough group this time but full credit to the boys, some of the results we’ve had, the performances and we’ve completed it here today,” he said to Channel 4.
Kane’s two goals saw him break Bobby Charlton’s record for most goals scored at Wembley
The Bayern Munich striker praised his teammates for ‘staying calm’ during the crucial match
‘We went 1-0 down, we stayed calm and steady, we knew we had enough to win and we did it.
“It’s been a tough journey and qualifying with two games to go is an honor for everyone involved.
‘I love it, it’s our home, we’ve made it a real fortress over the years and with a full house here the fans love it, we wanted to pay them back with good wins and good performances and we have done today. he added.
Speaking about his second goal, he also said: “There were a few at the end who were chasing lost balls and helping the team get onto the pitch.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Kane and Marcus Rashford were on target for the Three Lions as they beat Italy 3-1
‘I showed some speed, which is normally not my strength. It was nice to finish it off and it killed the game.”
This was the 11th time Kane has scored a goal for England, with only Nat Lofthouse (12) having scored two or more goals in a match for the national team.
With their place at Euro 2024 now confirmed, the Three Lions will be hoping to build on their recent tournament performances after reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, the finals of Euro 2020 and the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup. before a narrow defeat by France.
Before Tuesday’s match, England had beaten Italy, Ukraine, Malta and North Macedonia before drawing the return fixture against Ukraine last month.