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England manage a rare feat: The unconvincing 4-0 away win as they beat Kosovo with Kane on target
Whatever the legitimate concerns for England in defence and midfield there is one thing for certain: they score goals and plenty of them. To be relatively subdued and to strike four times away from home shows a threat to any opponent and they were utterly ruthless in front of goal as they inflicted a first home defeat for Kosovo since they were officially recognised.
In doing so England ended 2019 as not just the top-scorers in qualifying for Euro 2020 but with 38 goals in the calendar year – their second highest number ever and the highest since achieving the same total in 1966. And we know what happened that year.
Can Gareth Southgate’s side bring a trophy home next summer? They will certainly threaten with second-half goals from captain Harry Kane – who became the first England player to score in every game of a qualification campaign - and substitutes Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount adding to a first-half strike by Harry Winks.
Thirty-seven goals in eight qualifiers also, of course, speaks to the weakness of a group in which England have ended with a sequence of thumping wins: 6-0, 7-0 and now 4-0. And to think there are still justifiable questions over how they will fare against stronger opposition and whether Southgate can come up with the right permutations in the centre of defence and in his midfield three.
The attacking options are awesome and although this was not a night for Callum Hudson-Odoi, who was taken off, and although Raheem Sterling’s return to the team, after his one-game ban for attacking Joe Gomez, was understandably quiet Southgate will have noted the impact made by Rashford when he came on and with the score still 1-0. The 22-year-old forward’s directness and pace made a difference as England rattled in three late goals and did not relent.
In fairness having been smothered with kindness by the Kosovo nation, who wanted to show their gratitude for Britain’s role in ending the brutal struggle with Serbia, there was an edge taken from the game which had been diminished a little anyway because the hosts had already blown their chance of automatic qualification and must now go through the play-offs.
The Kosovans held up cards with their flag on one side and the St George’s flag on the reverse during the national anthems and there was a series of tributes and thanks prior to kick-off. This was such a wonderfully anticipated contest for Kosovo, with 800,000 applying for the 17,000 tickets that sold out in less than 11 minutes, crashing the website, and were changing hands for up to €300(£252)s – with a face value of €20 for the best seats.
There had been such a warm reception for England with the slogan of “welcome and respect” but it was a bit too welcoming and respectful from Kosovo in the way the opening goal was allowed. Southgate had made five changes from last Thursday’s fixture against Montenegro, with Nick Pope afforded a debut start in goal as Jordan Pickford was stood down for the first time in more than two years, but the most significant change was moving Winks into a more advanced midfield role with Declan Rice as the ‘pivot’.
For a while they got in each other’s way but when Winks began to move further forward it made a difference and once he did that he took the plaudits as England’s most impressive performer. It was on cue that Winks surged on to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s pass with a fine first touch disorientating Ibrahim Dresevic with, suddenly, the midfielder finding himself clear on goal. Winks had time, had space and had his first England goal as he deceived goalkeeper Arjanet Muric, who dived the other way, with his side-footed shot.
Before that, apart from a Sterling shot and after that the consistent threat came from Kosovo with Southgate admitting there are still worries over England’s defending and especially from set-pieces while it was a problem in possession for Harry Maguire and Tyrone Mings neither of whom seemed able to bring the ball forward comfortably. And that is a problem as England struggled to play through the Kosovan pressure.
A greater problem was the sloppy way England conceded corners with Valon Berisha driving a shot narrowly wide, from one, and Amir Rrahmani getting his angles wrong with a header when unmarked from another.
But, boy, can England counter-attack with Chilwell breaking forward, Muric palming his shot and Sterling retrieving the ball to cut it back for Kane whose first-time shot cannoned back off the post. Would Kane miss out? No chance. Again Sterling was involved as his cross was blocked, ballooning up into the air for Kane to show the mark of a top striker as he positioned himself to collect it, shield it and shoot low into the net. With that he took his total to 32 goals in 45 internationals, 12 goals in the eight qualifiers and 20 goals in 21 games for club and country this season. He is posting extraordinary numbers.
It ended any doubt over the result but, importantly, England were not done and showed the streak that Southgate likes and what marks out successful teams: they do not stop. They poured forward again with Sterling breaking to the edge of the Kosovan penalty area before slipping a pass to Rashford – who had replaced Hudson-Odoi – and who took it first time to stroke a shot around Muric and just inside the far post. For a quiet night Sterling ended with two assists.
On also came Fikayo Tomori to make his competitive debut for England, meaning he cannot now play for Canada and Nigeria, but it was another substitute, and his Chelsea team-mate, Mason Mount, who completed the scoring with his first England goal as he collected the ball inside the area, after Kane pounced when Dresevic slipped, to beat Muric before falling over himself on what was a difficult pitch. It could have been a difficult night, also, for England but they scored their way out of it. “Bring on a big 2020,” Kane later tweeted. England have the firepower.
Full time: Kosovo 0 England 4
That'll do it. Is it possible to have a somewhat unconvincing 4-0 win away from home? If so, that is it. England's footballers (a bit like their cricketers) are a likeable, talented outfit with some nice lads who can be superb on their day when attacking but always prone to a meltdown on defence. They gave Kosovo more than enough chances to get a goal and, even if they were never off the bridle, they did make this a bit harder than it should have been. Still, four nil is four nil, and we'll wrap it up here with a match report. Cheers!
GOAL! Kosovo 0 England 4 (Mount 90)
Young Mason Mount has himself a goal. Poor old Kosovo have gone here. Their defender Dresevic slips over and gifts Mount an opportunity, which he slots away.
85 mins: Kosovo 0 England 3
Fikayo Tomori comes on for his debut. He replaces Trent Alexander-Arnold.
GOAL! Kosovo 0 England 3 (Rashford 82)
Sterling sets up another. Kosovo are steaming forward, lose is. Sterling carries the ball forward and times his release perfectly, slipping it through for Rashford, who wraps the game up with a nice assured finish.
GOAL! Kosovo 0 England 2 (Kane 78)
That will do it, Kosovo have had their moments but they do not have a player (anything) like Harryt Kane.
Sterling down the right, low cross and it hits the foot of Aliti. It spins wickedly over to Kane at the far post, and he shows good technique to tuck that away.
Kane has scored in every one of England's eight qualifiers. Some campaign.
75 mins: Kosovo 0 England 1
More excellent football from Kosovo! Great break, here is Rashica surging into the area and it's a superb, vital tackle from Rice to deny him.
72 mins: Kosovo 0 England 1
Hadergjonaj subbed off. Zhegrova on.
Mason Mount replaces Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
70 mins: Kosovo 0 England 1
More good pressure from the hosts as they get in behind Chilwell. Ox gave it away, they broke through Hadergjonaj but he didn't ever really look like hitting paydirt.
63 mins: Kosovo 0 England 1
Celina holds the ball up well and eventually gives it to the overlapping Rashica on the right. But the number 7's cross floats tamely over the bar. Shame.
Berisha on for Halimi.
61 mins: Kosovo 0 England 1
England probably need this second, and only the post has denied them, and specifically Harry K. Sterling cut it back from the byline on the right, Kane hit it hard and got all of it, but it crashed against the upright.
58 mins: Kosovo 0 England 1
That will be Hudson-Odoi's last action, he's coming off in favour of Rashford.
57 mins: Kosovo 0 England 1
Callum H-O gets forward, there is acres of space, but he wangs it a mile over.
53 mins: Kosovo 0 England 1
Rrahmani has another header! He's got free at a corner- England's marking leaves a lot to be desired - but has headed wide.
49 mins: Kosovo 0 England 1
Nice little spell from Kosovo, who certainly seem to have the key to the England defence. A corner, a dangerous shot back in from Bashira and a late touch from Rrahmani steers it only just wide.
48 mins: Kosovo 0 England 1
England have a handily placed free on the right bur Der Ox cannot deliver the correct ball in.
46 mins: Kosovo 0 England 1
Mings has the ball and a chance to build from the back. England benefit from his left foot I think if he is playing left CB alongside Harold Maguire.
Right then!
Second half ahoy, have the boys in blue got an equaliser in them or is this going to be a gentle stroll of a half for England?
Half time: Kosovo 0 England 1
That'll do it for the first half. In terms of entertainment, a Kosovo equaliser is very much what we need and, while England look to be very much in third gear, the hosts have had a couple of moments.
40 mins: Kosovo 0 England 1
Decent attack from Kosovo sees the ball fed to Celina on the edge of the box and he shoots, but scoops it a mile over.
36 mins: Kosovo 0 England 1
All England since the goal, they are contentedly passing the ball around, taking their own sweet time.
GOAL! Kosovo 0 England 1 (Winks 32)
A first England goal for Harry Winks! A smart move from England, it is played to the Ox 30 yards out and he sends it into the path of Harry Winks, who gathers the ball and slots it home. A crisp move. No pressure on the ball form Kosovo, who appeared to go to sleep and just watched Winks glide through.
30 mins: Kosovo 0 England 0
A long and mazy run from Callum Hudson-Odoi that never quite carries the real threat of goal comes to an end with an overdue, if crisply hit, shot straight at the goalkeeper.
Kosovo pressing effectively with four in a diamond shape working hard to stop any ball out into the central area they enclose. Happy to let England centre-backs have possession & then stop pass into midfield
— Sam Wallace (@SamWallaceTel) November 17, 2019
26 mins: Kosovo 0 England 0
Milot Rashica is having a good game, and has hit the target here, albeit absent power. Pope gathers that.
23 mins: Kosovo 0 England 0
Rrahmani meets it with a glancing header but it rebounds off a defender.
22 mins: Kosovo 0 England 0
Kosovo win a corner. Berisha will take it, from the left.
18 mins: Kosovo 0 England 0
Frustrating afternoon for Oxlade-C. He's slipped over again, and now he has tripped up Aliti.
15 mins: Kosovo 0 England 0
First moment of real alarm for the hosts as Kane gets on the ball in the area. Kane uses his skill and strength to hold it up, and his vision to find Sterling. Raheem has a bit of time and space to measure out a well-struck shot... good save!
10 mins: Kosovo 0 England 0
I reckon there might be a sucker punch to be had for England here. Oxlade-C slipped over, as I said, and Raheem has also gone base over apex. And now Tyrone Mings unwisely waits for the ball to bounce and is deceived by it.
6 mins: Kosovo 0 England 0
Nice move from Kosovo leads to a cross from the left and their family-sized striker Nuhiu gets up above Tyrone Mings to hit the target with a header. The big lad, who plays for Sheffield Wednesday, cannot get a lot of power behind it though. Kololli the player who delivered a well flighted ball in.
2 mins: Kosovo 0 England 0
Oh no! Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has slipped and is down. Get up Ox! Get up!
He is up... and seems to be moving okay.
1 mins: Kosovo 0 England 0
Kosovo kick off. Hadergjonaj drives forward down the right, cuts inside, and scuffs a shot with his left. Easy first touch for Pope.
The players are out on the pitch
Come on mighty Kosovo! Their fans are all holding up little England flags. Amazing! Finding this quite moving, I have to say.
Gareth Southgate
"We know it is a big occasion for Kosovo and we are a big scalp for them so we will have to be ready for it."
Keano on Ox
"He seems like a nice character."
This is surely the most withering put-down in the Keane armoury.
Nice feature on ITV now
about Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and an equally enjoyable piece here from Matt Law about the player, who is I think my favourite current England footballer.
What would we talk about
in international weeks if it wasn't for spats, rows and bust-ups, eh?
Here is some stuff on the Joe Gomez situation.
Talking of England centre forwards
Sam Wallace has some views on Wayne Rooney here in his column.
Good evening
And welcome to our coverage of this Euro 2020 qualifier. Here is the team news.
Kosovo: Muric, Vojvoda, Rrahmani, Aliti, Kololli, Celina, Dresevic, Berisha, Hadergjonaj, Nuhiu, Rashica. Subs: Xhemajli, Zhegrova, Rashani, Muslija, Ujkani, Paqarada, Raskaj, Bekaj, Voca, Halimi, Hasani, Shala.
England: Pope, Alexander-Arnold, Maguire, Mings, Chilwell, Winks, Rice, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hudson-Odoi, Kane, Sterling. Subs: Dean Henderson, Stones, Tomori, Abraham, Wilson, Mount, Sancho, Rashford, Rose, Maddison, Trippier, Pickford.
England have scored 34 goals in just nine games in 2019 – only in 1908 (39) and 1966 (38) have they scored more in a calendar year, and perhaps the likes of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling might fancy bulking up tonight.
And as for Brave Sir Harry, he has scored 11 goals for his country in 2019 – only George Hilsdon in 1908 and Dixie Dean in 1927 (both 12) have scored more in a single year for the Three Lions.
