If at first you do not succeed, try again. It has been a guiding principle for Harry Kane. Here, the England captain had numerous nearly-but-not-quite moments and, were it not him, it would have been possible to think it was going to be one of those nights.
This is Kane. And the red-letter occasion when he celebrated his 100th England cap was only going to end one way – with him making it happen, getting through on the strength of his talent and remorselessness.
There were 57 minutes on the Wembley clock when Kane lashed high into the Finland net from just inside the area after a lovely first-time pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold. It was Alexander-Arnold’s night, too; the weight and incision of his passing was sumptuous.
Kane did the rest. A touch with the outside of his right boot to cut inside Robert Ivanov; the hammer brought down. The cameras cut to Kane’s family in the stands and it would do so again before he was withdrawn to a heartfelt ovation.
Again, Alexander-Arnold was the architect, playing a beautiful return ball to the debutant, Noni Madueke, who had come on as a substitute. Madueke pulled back; Kane banged first time into the far corner. The captain had said on Monday that he wanted 100 England goals, which sounded like wishful thinking. It is never wise to question his targets. At the age of 31, he has 68.
The result gave the England interim manager, Lee Carsley, a second win in two games after Saturday’s 2-0 success against Republic of Ireland in Dublin. For him, there was much to enjoy. Nothing more so than Kane.
Kane embraced his role as the focal point of the occasion by wearing a pair of sparkly gold boots, which felt pretty un-Kane-like, and he enjoyed the moment before kick-off when his milestone was recognised with the presentation of a gold cap. Two other members of the 100 club did the honours, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole. The tribute to Sven-Goran Eriksson, who passed away in August, was sensitively handled, culminating in a stirring period of applause.
Carsley had not hidden his pride at taking the team for the first time in Dublin and this was the latest pinch-me occasion. He swapped his starting back four around,Alexander-Arnold the only player retained from the Ireland game, and the real headline-grabber was Angel Gomes in at the base of the midfield for his first start.
Control has been Carsley’s watchword; the biggest thing he has wanted to see. Fluidity is another and the movements he demands were on show at the outset, most notably Alexander-Arnold up and inside from right-back. Rico Lewis, the other full England debutant, had plenty of license from left-back. As against Ireland, Declan Rice pushed high up the inside right channel.
There were empty seats inside Wembley but it was still a big crowd and they had come to see a Kane goal. He was central to virtually everything in the first-half and yet the breakthrough eluded him.
Anthony Gordon had his full-back, Adam Ståhl, for pace and when he crossed early on, Kane opted to look square for Bukayo Saka instead of going for goal. Finland got bodies in front of Saka; they would put them on the line time and again.
Kane watched a volley deflect high, he extended Lukas Hrádecky with a low shot when he might have done better and he had the ball in the net with a header from Saka’s cross only to be pulled up for offside. Then there were the times when Finland’s last defender stretched to make a crucial clearance as he looked to burst in behind.
Alexander-Arnold was in the mood to make something happen; he even popped up on the left at times. There were some lovely fizzed passes from him, including the moment of the first-half, a reverse ball that released Saka. The winger’s shot took a deflection and Hrádecky had to throw up a hand to paw clear.
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Alexander-Arnold also blasted a low shot past the far post and was wide with a free-kick.
It was practically all England up to the interval and yet Finland did have their opportunities, none better than when Rice was robbed by Rasmus Schüller and Topi Keskinen lashed high from the edge of the area. He ought to have played in Teemu Pukki. Earlier, Lewis had to make an important challenge to snuff out Pukki while Keskinen bent just wide, although the referee did whistle for an off-the-ball foul by Finland in the move.
Gomes saw plenty of the ball, moving it briskly and smartly. He also got his foot in to win it, sometimes high up as Finland tried to build. Carsley is right. Gomes is a different kind of midfield conductor, almost un-English. He was ever available, bringing possibility.
The second half began as the first had left off; England pushing, Kane threatening. There was a free-kick from him that Hrádecky did well to save; then a scissors kick following a Finland defensive lapse. Same result. England had to remain patient because Rice and Gordon also went close.
Finally, it happened, Carsley as jubilant as anyone when Kane showcased that lethal shooting technique, honed during those endless hours on the training ground. Ezri Konsa was forced off after rolling his ankle, which will be a concern for Aston Villa but England did not want to settle for 1-0.
Madueke brought tricks and penetration; he worked Hrádecky with a deflected effort while another substitute, Eberechi Eze, could not control yet another fabulous Alexander-Arnold ball. The last word went to you-know-who.
