The Three Lions qualified for Euro 2020 with aplomb, brushing the minnows aside in a performance which didn’t suggest a divided camp
Harry Kane says England’s 7-0 win over Montenegro in Euro 2020 qualifying at Wembley on Thursday is proof the squad has moved on from the Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez incident.
Captain Kane scored a record-breaking hat-trick as Gareth Southgate’s side qualified for next summer’s tournament in style, marking England’s 1000th official game with a superb performance from a youthful side.
There was a smattering of boos from some sections of the home crowd as Gomez was brought on as a second-half substitute, with Sterling watching on from the stands. But as far as Kane is concerned, the altercation is old news.
“We made the decision as a group, the gaffer spoke to me and a few of the other senior players in the team, and then [this is] the decision we’ve come to,” Kane told ITV Sport.
“Raz [Sterling] has apologised as you know and for us, we’re a group, things happen and we move on. This was a great way to show it.
“We have had one slip-up in the group and responded really well. We got the job done and wanted to put on a show in our 1000th game and with five goals in the first half I think we did that.”
When asked if he thought Sterling might be feeling marginalised by the decision, Kane said: “Not that I know of. Obviously he’s been good around the camp, he has been training really well.
“Of course he would have been disappointed not to play today but I’m sure he will be ready to go and try and get on the pitch again on Sunday.”
Kane’s treble was supplemented by further goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Marcus Rashford, Tammy Abraham and an Aleksandar Sofranac own goal.
Kane and Oxlade-Chamberlain were taken off relatively early in the second half, with both hoping to be involved in Sunday’s final qualifier against Kosovo – where Sterling is also expected to feature.
“You want to play every England game,” Kane added. “It’s a good opportunity for us to finish well.
“Of course we want to win that game away from home, so we’ll enjoy this but of course we have one eye on Sunday.”
Be the first to comment