Kane extends England’s goals record in 2-0 win against Ukraine

LONDON (AP):

Presented with a golden boot before kick-off, Harry Kane's golden touch continued for England yesterday as he struck a record-extending 55th goal for his country.

The Tottenham striker had already surpassed Wayne Rooney as the Three Lions' outright leading scorer with his penalty in Thursday's 2-1 win against Italy in Naples.

Back at Wembley, he got the chance to celebrate in front of his home fans with another goal in England's 2-0 win against Ukraine in European Championship qualifying.

"It has been crazy over the last few days," Kane said. "My dad and brother were in Naples, so I shared that moment with them. I had my wife and kids here today and those are memories that will always stay with me."

The England captain struck in the 37th minute, converting Bukayo Saka's cross at the far post.

Saka deservedly got on the scoresheet three minutes later when turning on the edge of the area and curling a shot into the top corner.

With that double strike, England effectively secured the victory, ensuring a 100 per cent start to qualifying for Euro 2024 in an impressive response to the disappointment of being eliminated from last year's World Cup at the quarter-final stage.

"It shows the type of team we are. We were all disappointed after the World Cup, but the sign of a good team is to come back," Kane said. "We are at the bottom of the hill again, but we've put in two great performances, and it shows the mentality of the team."

Kane, whose penalty miss in the 2-1 loss to France proved so costly in Qatar, has also proven he is not suffering a hangover from one of the most painful moments of his career.

While he is still waiting to win his first trophy for club or country, the personal honours continue to come.

In February, he overtook the late Jimmy Greaves as Tottenham's all-time leading scorer. In international football, he equalled Rooney's England total at the World Cup before setting a new record against Italy.

The English Football Association marked that achievement before kick-off against Ukraine when its chair, Debbie Hewitt, presented Kane with a commemorative golden boot. For the match, Kane also wore Nike boots with a gold swoosh on the side.

"He is somebody that I think it would be easy for us to get drawn into not challenging," England coach Gareth Southgate said. "But we've got to challenge him as well. The individual accolades are well deserved and are amazing, but he wants to be part of a team that is successful."