RIGA: Harry Kane scored twice as England secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup after a 5-0 thrashing of Latvia on Tuesday.
Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in Riga before Kane took his tally for club and country this season to 21 goals in 13 games.
An Andrejs Ciganiks own goal and Eberechi Eze’s strike rounded off the scoring as the Three Lions guaranteed top spot in Group K of UEFA qualifying with two games to spare.
Thomas Tuchel has completed his first task with ease as his side became the first European nation to qualify.
England have won all six of their qualifiers since the German took charge, scoring 18 goals without conceding.
After a slow start to Tuchel’s reign with unconvincing victories over Albania and Andorra, plus a friendly defeat to Senegal in June, England have clicked into gear over the past two international breaks.
Tuchel’s decision to leave out fit-again Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden from his squad this month was questioned.
But the former Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss has been rewarded for implementing continuity with his selection.
Gordon is one of those to benefit from a run of games on the left of a front three.
The Newcastle winger opened the floodgates when he cut inside to curl into the far corner for just his second England goal on 26 minutes.
Kane had uncharacteristically missed a glorious early chance when he steered a Gordon cross wide.
The Bayern Munich striker soon found his range with two goals in four minutes at the end of the first half to take his international tally to 76 in 110 caps.
Despite losing his balance, Kane steered a shot into the far corner off his weaker left foot to double England’s lead.
Kane then accepted the gift of a soft penalty award for holding of his shirt by Latvia captain Antonijs Cernomordijs.
England were able to coast through the second period despite five substitutions disrupting the visitors’ attacking flow.
The fourth goal was a self-inflicted blow by Lativa as the ball looped into his own net off Ciganiks after goalkeeper Krisjanis Zviedris failed to connect with Djed Spence’s cross.
Eze was one of those introduced after the break and the Arsenal playmaker rounded off the scoring with a fine run and finish on 86 minutes.
England have not failed to qualify for a World Cup since it was last in the USA back in 1994.
The hard work for Tuchel now starts in trying to deliver his adopted nation’s first major trophy since 1966.
Hard decisions lie ahead with Bellingham, Foden, Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer among those not even in the traveling squad to Riga.
But England will travel across the Atlantic in June among the favorites to win a first ever World Cup on foreign soil.
England qualify for World Cup with rout of Latvia
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England qualify for World Cup with rout of Latvia
Supersub strikes again as Sesko gives Man United win at Everton
- The defeat was a blow to Everton’s hopes of a place in next year’s European competitions and left it languishing in ninth, behind Brentford and Bournemouth
LIVERPOOL, England: Manchester United supersub Benjamin Sesko scored 13 minutes after entering the field to give his side a 1-0 win over Everton in the Premier League on Monday.
It was the third time in four games that Sesko has scored after coming off the bench and secured points for United.
“I believe in me and so do the other players as well,” Sesko told Sky Sports. “They know what they are going to get when I arrive in the game. It’s up to me to deliver of course.”
His goal with 19 minutes remaining finished off the slickest move of an otherwise stodgy game.
Bryan Mbeumo controlled Matheus Cunha’s superb long ball and played a perfectly weighted pass to the feet of Sesko, who steered the ball past Jordan Pickford with aplomb.
“It was a great finish,” United interim coach Michael Carrick said. “It was a ruthless finish. I liked the way he put it away with real confidence. It was great play from Cunha and Mbeumo to set it up and we are dangerous on the break.”
Until then defenses had been on top and the lack of attacking fluency was not helped by a heavy pitch that appeared to slow down both teams.
The result took fourth-placed United three points clear of Chelsea and Liverpool. United was three behind Aston Villa.
It also extended Carrick’s unbeaten run to six games since he replaced Ruben Amorim on Jan. 13.
The defeat was a blow to Everton’s hopes of a place in next year’s European competitions and left it languishing in ninth, behind Brentford and Bournemouth and eight points adrift of Chelsea and Liverpool.
David Moyes’ men have gone seven games without a win at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
“Generally we did very well in lots of bits,” Moyes said. “We got done on the counterattack and they ran away and got the goal that was there. We put in a great effort to get the goal but lacked the quality to make it count.”
