MY ACCOUNT
With San Marino the opposition, it was never really in doubt – but England did what they had to do to secure their place in Qatar next November.
Gareth Southgate’s side put 10 past Elia Benedettini, who arguably has one of the most thankless tasks in world football, as the Three Lions earned their biggest-ever competitive win.
We analyse five ways in which the game was won against the side ranked 210th in the world.
Confident Kane
Harry Kane was not going to pass up an opportunity to creep ever closer to Wayne Rooney’s all-time England men’s goalscoring record of 53.
His four first-half strikes take him to 48 goals, enough to bring him level with Gary Lineker in third place.
The Tottenham man might be faltering in the Premier League, but his recent form for England has taken him to 16 goals in 2021 alone, the most in a calendar year.
In an evening of accolades, Kane also became the first Three Lions player to score back-to-back hat-tricks since 1957 and the first since 1993 to score four goals in a game.
Southgate’s skipper seemed to be awarded the freedom of the microstate during much of his time on the pitch, but two of his efforts did come from the penalty spot after some soft calls from Slovenian referee, Rade Obrenovic.
Trent delivers
Trent Alexander-Arnold has not been Southgate’s first-choice right-back, so much so that he was trialled in midfield during the September international break.
But tonight the Liverpool star was handed a chance to shine, an opportunity that he grasped.
A hat-trick of second-half assists took England into double figures and delivered a performance that pleased his national team boss.
Southgate said: “For him to have an enjoyable England night was important.
“He has shown some tremendous quality for a couple of the assists so I am really pleased for him.
“He will go back feeling a big part of what’s happened.”
Assured Aaron
After waiting patiently in the wings, Aaron Ramsdale was finally handed his debut senior cap.
It was always going to be a quiet evening for the Arsenal shot-stopper, but the former Sheffield United man did not leave any room for complacency.
He had to be alert in the 34th-minute as Nicola Nanni’s deflected effort looked to be sneaking in, but the 23-year-old was down sharply to his right to push it around the post.
From the following corner, surrounded by Sammarinese bodies, he got a strong fist to the ball and with that, his evening was done.
Questionable calls
There was always an air of inevitability about the scoreline, but England were both helped and hindered by some questionable calls from the officiating team.
Kane opened his account from the spot after Dante Rossi was adjudged by VAR to have handled the ball, despite the effort already going wide and seemingly lacking a noticeable touch.
The captain’s second penalty was a slightly more obvious handball, although an argument could still be made as to whether the arm remained within the silhouette.
Jude Bellingham later became England’s second-youngest scorer, but that lasted all of two minutes.
Another VAR check ruled that Tammy Abraham’s inadvertent touch of a San Marino defender in the build-up was enough to not only rule out the goal but warrant a yellow card for the Roma forward.
Smith Rowe delights
Arsenal’s golden boy continued his glittering start to 2021-22 with a night to remember against la Serenissima.
He provided his first Three Lions assist on a goal that had North London written all over it, supplying a perfect cross for Kane’s second and England’s fourth.
In the 58th-minute, he got in on the act himself with a neat first-time finish into the bottom corner from Abraham’s flick-on.
This time last year, Smith Rowe was not even part of the Gunners first team, but his story is a lesson in patience.
With the world at his feet and form on his side, the 21-year-old from Croydon looks likely to be in Southgate’s plans as they prepare for Qatar in 12 months.
