Presented with a golden boot before kickoff, Harry Kane바카라s golden touch continued for England on Sunday as he struck a record-extending 55th goal for his country.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker had already surpassed Wayne Rooney as the Three Lions바카라 outright leading scorer with his penalty in Thursday바카라s 2-1 win against Italy in Naples.
Back at Wembley, he got the chance to celebrate in front of his home fans with another goal in England바카라s 2-0 win against Ukraine in European Championship qualifying.
바카라It has been crazy over the last few days,바카라 Kane said. 바카라My dad and brother were in Naples so I shared that moment with them. I had my wife and kids here today and those are memories that will always stay with me.바카라
The England captain struck in the 37th minute, converting Bukayo Saka바카라s cross at the far post.
Saka deservedly got on the scoresheet himself three minutes later when turning on the edge of the area and curling a shot into the top corner.
With that double strike England effectively secured the victory and ensured a 100% start to qualifying for Euro 2024 in what has been an impressive response to the disappointment of being eliminated from last year바카라s World Cup at the quarterfinal stage.
바카라It shows the type of team we are. We were all disappointed after the World Cup but the sign of a good team is to come back,바카라 Kane said. 바카라We are at the bottom of the hill again, but we바카라ve put in two great performances and it shows the mentality of the team.바카라
Kane, whose penalty miss in the 2-1 loss to France proved so costly in Qatar, has also proven he is not suffering a hangover from one of the most painful moments of his career.
While he is still waiting to win his first trophy for club or country, the personal honors continue to come.
In February he overtook the late Jimmy Greaves as Tottenham바카라s all-time leading scorer. In international soccer, he equaled Rooney바카라s England total at the World Cup before setting a new record against Italy.
The English Football Association marked that achievement before kickoff against Ukraine when its chair, Debbie Hewitt, presented Kane with a commemorative golden boot. For the match, Kane also wore Nike boots with a gold swoosh on the side.
바카라He is somebody that I think it would be easy for us to get drawn into not challenging,바카라 England coach Gareth Southgate said. 바카라But we바카라ve got to challenge him as well. The individual accolades are well deserved and are amazing. But he wants to be part of a team that is successful.
바카라That바카라s the drive with England, for us to achieve that. He will be just as happy that we바카라ve got the six points and got ourselves in a good position in the group as getting the two goals this week as well.바카라
Kane바카라s hunger to further extend his record was immediately evident as he went in search of more goals.
There was an early penalty claim when he hit the ground in the box and then an unusual air shot when just a couple of meters out from goal.
He didn바카라t have to wait long, however, for his latest strike in England colors. Drifting to the far post, he was perfectly placed to turn in Saka바카라s cross for one of the easiest goals he is ever likely to score.
The same cannot be said of Saka바카라s effort. First the Arsenal forward showcased his control when spinning with the ball at his feet to leave Mykola Matviyenko trailing. Then he looked up before picking out the top corner of Anatoliy Trubin바카라s goal.
바카라It is a top-level finish,바카라 Southgate said. 바카라That is the ruthless part he has added to his game in the last 18 months or so. There were times you weren바카라t sure he was going to finish but now he has that confidence in front of goal.바카라
Ukraine was playing for the first time in six months and never looked like finding a way back into the game after conceding twice in quick succession. Yet it was cheered on throughout by an away contingent of around 4,200 fans.
The FA had invited more than 1,000 Ukrainian refugees to the match, as well as the families hosting them under the U.K. government바카라s Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
It is estimated that more than 150,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the U.K. since the war with Russia began last year.
Ahead of kickoff Ukraine바카라s fans sang along to a stirring rendition of the country바카라s national anthem, with one corner of Wembley awash with the blue and yellow colors of its flag.
Despite being heavily outnumbered inside a crowd of around 85,000, the away supporters made sure they were heard as they chanted and sang for their team.
바카라It was an atmosphere like no other international game I have ever experienced,바카라 Ukraine coach Ruslan Rotan said.
It was Kane who got England바카라s fans out of their seats, as he continues to set new standards in front of goal.
JACK LESLIE HONOURED
The family of Jack Leslie, the first Black player to receive an England call-up in 1925, was presented with a posthumous honorary cap ahead of the game.
The Plymouth inside left was deselected after facing adversity because of his skin color and never played for his country.
