Kane scores twice on his 125th cap to equal England's all-time appearance record against Czechia

Harry Kane equalled England’s all-time caps record and scored twice as the Three Lions beat Czechia 3-0 at Wembley on Tuesday, taking his international tally to 91 goals in 125 appearances.

The milestone — 4,211 days after his debut against Lithuania on 27 March 2015, when he scored 79 seconds after coming on as a substitute — was greeted with a roar from the Wembley crowd that, on the night, eclipsed even the reception given to Jude Bellingham. Kane, 33, captained the side and delivered exactly the kind of performance the occasion demanded.

The opener arrived in the 27th minute under unusual circumstances. Kane crossed from the right and Czech captain Vladimir Coufal slid in to smash the ball into his own net — a finish so clean it looked more like a striker’s effort than a defensive clearance. Whether Kane earns an official assist remains a quirk of the record books.

His 90th England goal came when Morgan Rogers, who grew into the game as the half progressed, sent a low cross from the right and Kane arrived at pace to steer it home. The 91st followed from a Lewis Hall corner, with Kane lurking at the back post to head in.

The result also effectively secured England’s place in the UEFA Nations League knockout stages next March. The top two teams in the group advance on points and then head-to-head record, and it would take a remarkable swing for Croatia to overhaul England’s position after the 7-0 win in Rijeka the previous weekend.

The early stages had felt slightly disjointed following four changes to the starting line-up — Trent Alexander-Arnold, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Rogers and Eberechi Eze all came in — and England never quite replicated the fluency of that Rijeka performance. Alexander-Arnold went close with a free kick, and Rogers passed up a chance to shoot when he might have taken one on. But Kane, as he so often does, cut through the uncertainty and gave the night its shape.

England’s all-time record for caps now stands at 125, shared between Kane and the previous holder. The captain, as ever, made the occasion his own.