LETHAL HARRY IS BACK TO HIS BEST BUT TRENT IS THE GAME-CHANGER

“PLAY every game like it’s your hundredth,” said no one. But for Harry Kane, embarking upon this centurion stage of his England career, it might just prove sound advice.

- Malik Ouzia

On the night England’s captain became just the 10th man to wear the shirt 100 times, he was spurred by visible determination to mark the milestone and managed it twice, scoring both goals in a 2-0 Nations League victory over Finland.

In doing so, Kane served a hardly necessary but still welcome reminder of his importance in the post-Gareth Southgate era, delivering a better individual performance than any on England’s run to the final of Euro 2024.

Goal-less at the break against a solid enough Finnish side, interim head coach Lee Carsley was in danger of following the noise of his Dublin baptism with the dull quiet of the dreaded flat Wembley affair.

With the 67th and 68th goals of his international career, though, Kane ensured a damp evening turned into one of celebration, and not only for the win that maintains Carsley’s 100 per cent start.

“It was really special,” said Kane, who was presented with a golden cap and joined on the pitch by his two young daughters, Ivy and Vivienne, ahead of kick-off. “They are special memories when they’re older, when we can look back and see them on the pitch.”