England 2-1 Croatia: Kane Scores the Winner on His Record 126th Cap as England Reach the Nations League Quarter-Finals

Published: 13 November 2026 | USA 247 Trend Post

Harry Kane could not have written the script better. On the night he became England's most-capped men's player, the captain stepped up from the penalty spot and scored the winning goal as England beat Croatia 2-1 at Wembley on Thursday, 12 November, to book their place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals.

Kane's 126th appearance took him past Peter Shilton, whose 125 caps between 1970 and 1990 had stood as the record for more than three decades. His 64th-minute penalty was his 92nd goal for England, extending a scoring record he took from Wayne Rooney in March 2023. It was a landmark night that ended with the result England needed — and a place in the last eight next March.

The short version: Morgan Rogers put England ahead in the 24th minute, Petar Sucic equalised for Croatia just before the hour after a mistake by Jarell Quansah, and Kane restored the lead from the penalty spot five minutes later after a VAR review. England moved to 12 points from five matches in Group A3, which guarantees quarter-final football — though Sunday's trip to Madrid, where they face world champions Spain, will decide who tops the group. Here is how the night unfolded, what Kane's record means, and what comes next.

1. The Match: How England Beat Croatia 2-1
2. Kane's Record Night: 126 Caps and 92 Goals
3. Rogers' Breakthrough and the Quansah Mistake
4. The Penalty: VAR, a Shirt Pull and a Cool Finish
5. What the Win Means: Quarter-Finals Secured
6. What Comes Next: Spain in Madrid on Sunday
7. Croatia's Night: Out of Contention
Frequently Asked Questions

1. The Match: How England Beat Croatia 2-1

Wembley laid on a large celebration for Kane before kick-off. The England captain, the Ballon d'Or winner, was honoured for a career that has now stretched to 126 international appearances — and then he went out and decided the match.

England took the lead in the 24th minute through Morgan Rogers. Kane started the move himself, lofting a wonderful diagonal pass towards Jude Bellingham on the right of the penalty area. Bellingham cushioned the ball first time across the area, and Rogers — the Chelsea midfielder — bundled it home from close range for his first-half breakthrough. It was a goal made by Kane's vision and finished by one of England's brightest young players.

Croatia, determined to avoid a repeat of their 7-0 defeat by England in Rijeka last month, were far more solid from the kick-off at Wembley and stayed in the contest. Their reward came just before the hour mark, when a mistake by Jarell Quansah allowed Petar Sucic to equalise. The goal silenced Wembley — briefly.

England's answer came within five minutes. At a corner, Ivan Smolcic wrestled Quansah to the ground, and after a VAR review the referee, Morten Krogh, was sent to the monitor and pointed to the spot. Kane stepped up and clipped the penalty down the middle from 12 yards. Wembley erupted, and England held on — Ante Budimir headed just over from another Croatia corner late on — to secure the 2-1 win.

2. Kane's Record Night: 126 Caps and 92 Goals

Having matched Peter Shilton's benchmark during the last international break, Kane became England's most-capped player with his 126th appearance on Thursday. Shilton, the great goalkeeper, won 125 caps between 1970 and 1990, and his record had stood for 36 years.

The numbers now attached to Kane's England career are remarkable. He is the country's record goalscorer with 92 goals, a record he took from Wayne Rooney in March 2023, and he has now added the appearance record to it. No England men's player has played more games for his country, and no one has scored more goals.

That the record-breaking night also produced the winning goal felt fitting. Kane had already played a huge role in the opener, creating Rogers' goal with the pass to Bellingham, and his penalty — drilled down the middle under the pressure of a landmark occasion — was the calm finish of a player who has made a career of delivering in big moments. The Bayern Munich striker has now scored on the biggest nights England has played, and this one will be remembered as one of the most personal.

3. Rogers' Breakthrough and the Quansah Mistake

Morgan Rogers' first-half goal was a snapshot of the new England Thomas Tuchel is building: Kane dropping deep to create, Bellingham driving forward, and a young midfielder arriving to finish. Rogers' breakthrough gave England control of a match they needed to win, and it rewarded a performance that had been bright from the start.

But the night also carried a warning. Quansah's mistake, which allowed Sucic to equalise on the hour mark, was the kind of lapse that can change a match — and it did, for five minutes. The young defender's error was punished ruthlessly by Croatia, and it was a reminder that England's defensive depth is still being tested at this level.

Quansah, to his credit, made amends four minutes later. It was his tussle with Smolcic at the corner that won the penalty, and his persistence in the box that forced the foul. A night that began with an error ended, for him, with a hand in the winning goal.

4. The Penalty: VAR, a Shirt Pull and a Cool Finish

The decisive moment came in the 64th minute. At an England corner, Ivan Smolcic wrestled Quansah to the ground — a shirt pull inside the area that the referee, Morten Krogh, initially did not penalise. The VAR intervened, Krogh was sent to the monitor, and after the review he pointed to the spot.

Kane accepted the responsibility, as he always does. He clipped the penalty down the middle, and the ball was in the net before the goalkeeper could react. It was his 92nd goal for England, and it restored a lead that England would not give up again.

The penalty was also a measure of how much the game has changed. A foul that might once have gone unseen — a wrestle at a corner, a shirt pulled in a crowded box — is now routinely caught by VAR, and the review took only moments. For Croatia, it was a harsh way to lose a match they had fought hard to stay in. For England, it was the break a record night deserved.

5. What the Win Means: Quarter-Finals Secured

The victory moved Thomas Tuchel's side to 12 points from five matches in Group A3, ensuring they will go through to the quarter-finals next March. Qualification was the priority, and it is now secured with a game to spare.

The result also confirmed England's place among the eight best teams in this season's Nations League. The quarter-finals, played in March, will be a two-legged tie against one of the other group winners — a genuine test of where this England team stands against Europe's best.

For Tuchel, the qualification is an important marker. The German coach has now guided England through a Nations League group that included the world champions, Spain, and a Croatia side that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2022. The team has not always been convincing — Thursday's performance, by several accounts, was more complicated than the celebratory atmosphere suggested — but the results have carried them through.

6. What Comes Next: Spain in Madrid on Sunday

England's work in the group is not finished. On Sunday, 15 November, they travel to Madrid to face world champions Spain, and the match will decide who tops Group A3. Spain also won on Thursday, beating Czechia 2-0, so the group is still live at the top.

England will need to beat Spain to finish first — and they have a score to settle. Spain beat England 3-2 in the Nations League opener, a defeat Tuchel's men will want to avenge. Topping the group matters: it can mean a more favourable draw in the quarter-finals and, just as importantly, a statement win against the best team in the world.

The Madrid trip is also a chance for England to show how far they have come. A win in Spain would be one of the best results of Tuchel's tenure, and it would send England into the March quarter-finals with genuine momentum. A defeat would not undo qualification, but it would leave questions about whether this team can beat the very best when it matters.

7. Croatia's Night: Out of Contention

For Croatia, the result means they are out of contention for the Nations League quarter-finals. Slaven Bilic's team had arrived at Wembley determined to avoid another embarrassment after the 7-0 defeat in Rijeka last month, and they were far more competitive this time — compact, organised, and briefly level at 1-1.

But the defeat ends their campaign. Croatia's golden generation, which carried the country to a World Cup final in 2018 and a semi-final in 2022, is fading, and the Nations League was a chance to show that the next generation could compete. On Thursday, they competed — but they lost, and the quarter-finals will go on without them.

Elsewhere on Thursday, there was a shock in the Nations League's other big match: Italy beat France, handing Zinedine Zidane his first defeat as France coach. It was a night of landmarks across Europe — and at Wembley, the biggest landmark of all belonged to Harry Kane.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the score in England vs Croatia?

England beat Croatia 2-1 at Wembley on Thursday, 12 November 2026. Morgan Rogers scored in the 24th minute, Petar Sucic equalised for Croatia just before the hour, and Harry Kane scored the winner from the penalty spot in the 64th minute.

How many caps does Harry Kane have for England now?

126. His appearance against Croatia took him past Peter Shilton's 125 caps, making him England's most-capped men's player. His penalty was also his 92nd goal for England.

Have England qualified for the Nations League quarter-finals?

Yes. The win moved England to 12 points from five matches in Group A3, which guarantees a place in the quarter-finals, played next March.

Who do England play next?

England travel to Madrid to face world champions Spain on Sunday, 15 November. The match will decide who tops Group A3. Spain beat Czechia 2-0 on Thursday.