England finish campaign with flawless record
Albania 0 - 2 England
Harry Kane struck twice after the interval as England rounded off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a perfect record of eight wins from eight.
Author | Lauren W
Stadium | Arena Kombëtare
With top spot in the group already secured, Thomas Tuchel rotated heavily, making seven changes from the side that beat Serbia at Wembley on Thursday. He also adjusted the shape, asking John Stones to step into midfield when England had the ball, but despite the scoreline this was far from a commanding display.
Kane, who has now scored 78 goals for his country, broke the deadlock in the 74th minute, forcing the ball over the line from close range after Bukayo Saka’s corner caused problems in the Albania box. He added a second eight minutes later with a deft header from Marcus Rashford’s fine delivery.
England had created openings before Kane’s late intervention, with Jude Bellingham, Jarrod Bowen and Saka all threatening the breakthrough. Albania, unbeaten in their previous eight matches, produced moments of their own and Arber Hoxha should have done better when he fired straight at Dean Henderson at the end of a swift counter.
The result confirms England as the first European team to win at least six qualifiers and finish the campaign without conceding a goal.
Tuchel experiments work well
The selection felt like Thomas Tuchel’s most experimental line-up since he took charge of England on 1 January.
Jarell Quansah became only the seventh player to make his debut under Tuchel in the manager’s ten matches so far. Tuchel has been clear with his squad about the direct competition for places and, aside from a solid core through the middle, this XI reflected who he currently views as the understudies in key roles.
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Jude Bellingham returned to the starting side for the first time since June after recovering from a shoulder injury. In his absence, Morgan Rogers had impressed, creating an intriguing contest for the number 10 position.
Once again it was Tuchel’s tactical sharpness and his timely substitutions that proved decisive in another successful night of England’s qualifying campaign. Against Serbia it had been Eberechi Eze and Phil Foden who came off the bench to craft the second goal. This time Saka and Marcus Rashford combined to set up both strikes for Harry Kane.
England have fallen short at recent major tournaments by the narrowest of margins, and former manager Gareth Southgate faced criticism for being slow to make changes when matches seemed to be drifting. Tuchel’s club career has shown his readiness to act at pivotal moments to win silverware and with England he is already reshaping games with the depth of attacking options available to him.
