Kane breaks England record, Italy stun France in Nations League thriller

Harry Kane marked a historic night for England with his 92nd international goal, while Italy stunned France with a memorable comeback. Spain maintained their perfect Nations League run, setting up a high-stakes clash with England for Group A3 top spot.Harry Kane becomes England’s most-capped men’s international. (Photo: AP)New Delhi,Nov 13, 2026 10:06 ISTHarry Kane celebrated a landmark night for England with another match-winning performance as the Three Lions defeated Croatia 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday. The England captain became his country's most-capped men's international before scoring his 92nd goal to secure qualification for the quarter-finals.Italy produced one of the night's biggest results, recovering from an early setback to beat France 3-1 at San Siro. Pio Esposito scored twice as Italy registered their first home victory against France since 1962, leaving both sides level on points at the top of Group A1.World champions Spain continued their impressive run with a 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic, maintaining their perfect record in the competition. Alex Baena and Marc Pubill were on target as Spain extended their unbeaten run to 43 matches.Belgium also kept their qualification hopes alive with a 2-1 comeback win against Trkiye, while Thursday's results set up an intriguing final round of group fixtures. England and Spain have already secured quarter-final places, but their meeting in Madrid on Sunday will determine who finishes top of Group A3. KANE MAKES HISTORY VS CROATIAKane's 126th appearance took him past Peter Shilton to become England's outright record holder for men's international caps. He marked the occasion by extending his national scoring record, converting a second-half penalty to seal a 2-1 win at Wembley.Morgan Rogers opened the scoring in the 24th minute after Jude Bellingham helped create the opportunity. Croatia responded through Petar Sucic in the 59th minute, but England regained the lead five minutes later after Jarell Quansah was brought down inside the box. Kane stepped up and converted from the spot to take his international tally to 92 goals."It’s a perfect opportunity now Sunday to try to prove ourselves," Kane told ITV Sport, looking ahead to the meeting with Spain.England need to beat Spain by at least two goals to finish top of the group, having lost 3-2 in the reverse fixture in September.ITALY'S HISTORIC COMEBACK VS FRANCEItaly had to recover from an early setback after Michael Olise capitalised on a mistake by Gianluigi Donnarumma to put France ahead. Pio Esposito restored parity in the 26th minute, finishing Nicol Cambiaghi's delivery to bring the hosts back into the contest.France twice struck the woodwork before Italy had an opportunity to take the lead from the penalty spot. Sebastiano Esposito, Pio's older brother, missed his attempt, but Davide Frattesi made amends by putting Italy ahead shortly after coming off the bench.Italy earned another penalty when Antonio Vergara was fouled by Dayot Upamecano. This time Pio Esposito took responsibility and converted to complete his brace and seal a memorable victory.The result moved Italy level with France on 10 points in Group A1, with the Azzurri holding the advantage on head-to-head record.SPAIN MAINTAIN PERFECT NATIONS LEAGUE RECORDSpain continued their dominant campaign with a 2-0 win away to the Czech Republic. Alex Baena converted a penalty late in the first half before the hosts suffered another setback when captain Ladislav Krejci was sent off in the 72nd minute.Marc Pubill sealed the victory with a goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Spain remain unbeaten in 43 consecutive matches, while their final group fixture against England will decide the top spot in Group A3.BELGIUM KEEP HOPES ALIVE, OTHER RESULTSBelgium recovered from Arda Guler's 20th-minute free-kick to defeat Trkiye 2-1. Kevin De Bruyne equalised before Charles De Ketelaere completed the turnaround, setting up a decisive final group match against Italy.Elsewhere, Albania beat Finland 2-0 and Belarus defeated San Marino 2-0 in Group C1. Montenegro secured promotion from Group C2 with a 2-1 win over Latvia, while Armenia and Cyprus played out a 1-1 draw.- Ends