Kane scores twice on 100th appearance as England stroll past Finland
Sitting 59 places lower than England in the FIFA rankings, it was no surprise to see Finland adopt a low block from the off, ceding possession and aiming to frustrate the Three Lions.
Kane was looking to add to the eight goals scored across his last seven home internationals, stinging the palms of Lukas Hradecky with what would turn out to be the hosts’ only shot on target of the half.
Bukayo Saka was also causing problems down the right flank, forcing a save out of the Finnish shot-stopper via a heavily deflected cross before picking out a marginally offside Kane, whose diving header was denied by VAR.
A rather underwhelming half for England ended with a pair of Trent Alexander-Arnold attempts missing the target as the sides went into the half-time break level.
The pattern of play resumed after the restart, with Finland seemingly retreating deeper and deeper as they looked to keep the home side at bay. Hradecky needed to be alert as England began to turn the screw, preventing a Kane effort either side of Anthony Gordon’s shot, but the Finnish resolve was eventually broken soon after.
With almost an hour played, the Three Lions finally took their deserved lead through Kane, who showed excellent feet before sending a rasping strike above a helpless Hradecky.
England were without a Wembley victory in three matches heading into this one, but with that one-goal advantage, the hosts played with increased freedom as debutant Noni Madueke made a notable impact off the bench.
Finland had offered very little going forward, and with 76 minutes on the clock, any hope of a turnaround looked to be gone as Kane swept in Madueke’s lay-off for his 68th international goal.
The Bayern Munich talisman left the field soon after as Lee Carsley brought on fresh legs to see out an ultimately comfortable victory.
Following a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, England’s perfect start to the UNL campaign sees them top Group B2 as Carsley eyes an immediate return to Europe’s top tier.
As for Finland, a poor 3-0 away loss to Greece is compounded by defeat here, leaving Markku Kanerva’s side in a precarious position at the foot of the group, behind Ireland on goal difference.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Harry Kane (England)
