Harry Kane sets England caps record as Spain's unbeaten run reaches 43

Kane's record and England's win

England reached the Nations League quarter-finals on Thursday, 12 November, after beating Croatia 2-1 at Wembley in London. Harry Kane, 33, made his 126th appearance for England, which took him past goalkeeper Peter Shilton, who won 125 caps between 1970 and 1990. Kane also converted a penalty for his 92nd goal for the national team, the decisive strike of the match. Thomas Tuchel's side has now secured at least second place in group 3 after five of six rounds.

Croatia's response and England's opener

Croatia had lost 7-0 at home the previous month, so the match raised the question of how the team would bounce back. It did not collapse again, but Morgan Rogers gave England a 1-0 lead after Jude Bellingham crossed from the byline following a pass from Kane, who had dropped deep. Shortly after the restart, Croatian defender Josip Stanisic kept out a Kane effort on the line. Petar Sučić equalised for Croatia after an hour, intercepting a header from Jarell Quansah that was meant for goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Ivan Smolcic then brought down Quansah in the box, and Kane's penalty restored England's lead at 2-1.

Italy beat France in Milan

In Milan, Italy beat France 3-1 at San Siro, with Pio Esposito scoring twice and Davide Frattesi once after a 1-1 half-time score. Roberto Mancini's side moved to the top of group 1 in the A division with 10 points, level with Zinedine Zidane's France, which suffered its first defeat in the group stage. Kylian Mbappé, France's captain and top scorer, missed the game with a slight injury. Belgium, coached by Mark van Bommel, beat Turkey 2-1 and sit third in their group with 9 points. On Sunday, 15 November, Belgium host Italy and France host Turkey, which is still pointless and already eliminated.

Spain's run and the final round

Spain, the world champions, beat the Czech Republic 2-0 in Prague, with Álex Baena converting a penalty in the 39th minute. Substitute Marc Pubill settled the final score in stoppage time. Czech Republic defender Ladislav Krejčí had been sent off earlier for a foul on Roberto Fernández, leaving his side with ten men. Spain's win extended its unbeaten run to 43 matches, a world record that surpasses Italy's 37 games between 2018 and 2021. Spain has 15 points from five matches and leads the standings ahead of England on 12 points, and the two meet on Sunday, 15 November, in the final round.