World Cup Qualifying - Europe
Albania
Nov 16, 2025 5.00pm
0
2
HT : 0 0
FT
England

Albania 0-2 England: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Harry Kane surpasses Pele to keep Three Lions perfect

By | , Last updated:

Preliminary perfection: Kane surpasses Pele as England eventually overcome Albania
© Iconsport / PA Images

England have completed World Cup 2026 Qualifying with a 100% winning record thanks to a 2-0 triumph over Albania in Tirana.

Thomas Tuchel went with a new-look setup for England's final Group K game - making seven changes to the starting XI from the 2-0 win over Serbia - and the visitors' lack of cohesion was evident in the first half.

The Three Lions managed to force Thomas Strakosha into a couple of reaction saves but were largely found wanting in build-up against Albania, who showed glimpses of promise in the final third and came up against an uncharacteristically sloppy England side.

Tuchel soon rang the changes in a bid to inject some attacking venom into his side, and one of those alterations belatedly paid off, as Bukayo Saka's corner was flicked on for Harry Kane to draw first blood deep into the second half.

The Arsenal man's fellow substitute - Marcus Rashford - then wanted a slice of the assisting action, sending in an astounding cross for Kane to head home his and England's second of the night in the final 10 minutes.

With eight wins from eight, the Three Lions have recorded a perfect World Cup Qualifying campaign for the first time since the preliminary rounds of the 1954 tournament - when they played just three games - while Albania were destined to finish second regardless of Sunday's result.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

© Imago / Pro Sports Images

For 75-odd minutes, it was a hard watch for England fans. For the final 15, Three Lions supporters probably did not want the final whistle to blow.

There was no better time for Tuchel to experiment with his personnel, but in the first half, England's unfamiliar team had the look of a side who had barely played together, and Albania should have capitalised.

All eyes were on the returning Jude Bellingham in the number 10 role, but the Real Madrid man did little to suggest that he should be a shoo-in over Morgan Rogers next summer, and it ended up being Tuchel's changes - or finishers, or 'bomb squad', depending on your preference - that changed the game.

Saka's corner was good enough for Kane's first, and Rashford's inswinging cross was a thing of beauty for Kane's second, and for all the nit-picking and criticism, it is hard to lambast a perfect Qualifying campaign.

Not only were England perfect points-wise, they did not concede a single goal in Group K and have now kept 10 straight competitive clean sheets, matching a European record set by Spain from 2014 to 2016 and the Netherlands from 2004 to 2006.

Lastly, thoughts are with the perpetually unfortunate Armando Broja, who was stretchered off in the closing stages with an ankle problem - yet another cruel blow for a player who has suffered injury after injury in his fledgling career.

ALBANIA VS. ENGLAND HIGHLIGHTS

Jarrod Bowen shot vs. Albania (36th min, Albania 0-0 England)

England finally carve their way through the Albania defence, but the last line of defence thwarts them!

Bellingham strides forward and lays off Jarrod Bowen just before being tackled - the West Ham United stalwart tries to find the far corner, but Strakosha gets down low to turn the ball behind.

Arber Hoxha shot vs. England (51st min, Albania 0-0 England)

Albania may not get many better chances than that to score against this stubborn England side!

Rangers' Nedim Bajrami sweeps a fabulous ball from right to left, picking out fellow winger Arber Hoxha, who has plenty of the goal to aim at but side-foots his attempts straight at Dean Henderson.

Harry Kane goal vs. Albania (74th min, Albania 0-1 England)

Arsenal, is that you?

Where England have failed in open play, they have succeeded in set-pieces, and the deadlock is finally broken!

Saka's inswinging corner is flicked into the six-yard box by Naser Aliji at the near post, and Kane escapes his marker to tap home from a couple of yards out.

That is the first World Cup/Euros Qualifying goal Albania have conceded at home since October 2021!

Harry Kane goal vs. Albania (82nd min, Albania 0-2 England)

The 100% record is surely safe now!

Tuchel's subs do the business again, as Rashford whips in a wonderful cross from the left wing, and Kane easily rises above his marker to head home the visitors' second across goal.

MAN OF THE MATCH - HARRY KANE

A mention for Strakosha's performance in the first 70 minutes of the match, but when England needed bailing out, there was only one main who was going to drag them out of their rut.

Netting goal number 77 and 78 in a Three Lions shirt, Kane has now scored more international goals than Brazil legend Pele, showcasing why he remains one of the most feared penalty-box predators around.

ALBANIA VS. ENGLAND MATCH STATS

Possession: Albania 30%-70% England

Shots: Albania 6-14 England

Shots on target: Albania 3-7 England

Corners: Albania 5-5 England

Fouls: Albania 9-10 England

BEST STATS

WHAT NEXT?

Celebrations for those in a white kit, who are revelling in a 100% winning record in World Cup Qualifying and will find out their opponents for the tournament in North America on December 5.

For Albania, Sunday's result pales into insignificance given they have already reached next March's playoffs, where they will compete for one of four remaining UEFA spots at the global gathering.

Author photo

Written by

Share this article:

People mentioned in this article :

Teams mentioned in this article :

England related articles
Football related articles
Subscribe to our newsletter

Get FREE daily news and in-depth previews for games from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football — straight to your inbox.

Subscribe