England captain Harry Kane celebrated his 100th cap with a clinical brace as Lee Carsley’s interim reign continued with a comfortable Nations League win against Finland.
All eyes were on the man in the golden boots at Wembley, where the 31-year-old was presented with a golden cap before kick-off having become just the 10th man to reach a century of appearances for the national team.
Kane followed Wayne Rooney and Sir Bobby Charlton in scoring in their 100th match for England, with the skipper rifling home both goals in a controlled 2-0 win over Finland.
Carsley’s first match managing at Wembley was as dominant as Saturday’s win by the same scoreline away to the Republic of Ireland, with fans entertaining themselves by sending paper planes sailing throughout a plain sailing night of Nations League football.
England enjoyed 74 per cent of first half possession but only managed two shots on target, albeit Kane saw a close-range header ruled out for a tight offside call.
Finland goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky proved a tough last line of defence but Kane finally beat him when lashing off the underside of the bar in the 57th minute.
England’s all-time top scorer went onto add a 68th goal to his collection, firing home a pass from debutant Noni Madueke before being replaced to a standing ovation.
Tuesday evening was a special night for Kane and a chance to pay tribute to Sven-Goran Eriksson.
The popular former England manager died last month at the age of 76 and was remembered along with the late Kevin Campbell, Tommy Banks and Craig Shakespeare at Wembley.
England wore black armbands as they did at the weekend, but they were unable to replicate the sharp start seen across the Irish Sea.
Finland deserve credit for seeing off early
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