London, Nov 12
A resounding 5-0 win by England over Albania has put them within one point of qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar next year. They play away to San Marino on Monday and achieving a point seems merely a formality against the weakest team who have lost all their nine matches so far in the group.
This was a highly impressive goal-scoring display by England who top Group 1 with seven wins and two draws. Leading them in a goal spree was captain Harry Kane with a hat-trick in a space of 27 minutes which took his tally of international goals to 44 with all five England goals coming in the first half. Kane, who had been somewhat off his goal-scoring form in recent days, roared back emphatically on this occasion.
Albania did miss an opportunity early in the first half to score, in the 14th minute, when a poorly judged back-pass from Kyle Walker sent Myrto Uzuni through but Jordan Pickford executed an excellent save.
By that point England had opened the scoring – in the ninth minute – with a goal from Harry Maguire from a free-kick taken by Reece James. It was a lovely, curling ball from the right and Maguire beat his marker to head powerfully in for his fifth England goal in a year.
England doubled the lead in the 18th minute with Jordan Henderson taking a return pass from Phil Foden on the right and lifting the ball into the box where an unmarked Kane helped himself to a header at the far post.
Henderson kept himself strongly in the action and ten minutes later in the same combination, it was Kane who passed to Henderson in the penalty area, after beating two defenders and Henderson found the far corner of the goal with a left-footed shot.
The next two goals, both by Kane, completed England’s tally of five. Shortly after he had a 20-yard shot pushed wide by Thomas Strakosha, Raheem Stirling intercepted a bad pass and made a run through the middle of the field to pass to Kane, who despite a difficult angle took a left-footed shot inside the far post.
In 34 minutes, England were 4-0 up. It was an extraordinary performance by them considering that Albania are not a particularly weak side. They lie third in a group of six and have beaten Hungary twice, home and away, during this qualifying stage. However, England had not finished yet and kept the pressure on their opponents with relentless attack.
It was in added time of the first half that Kane completed his hat-trick with the most spectacular his goals. It came following a corner taken by Ben Chilwell. An in-swinger came towards Kane, who with his back to the goal, volleyed a scissors-kick that found the net with a slight deflection. Albania tightened their defence in the second half but it was all too late for them to make any impression at all. In any case, their attack had lacked penetration throughout.
