England beat Czechia 3-0 at Wembley on Tuesday night, 6 October, in Group A3 of the UEFA Nations League. Harry Kane scored twice on his 125th appearance for his country, which draws him level with Peter Shilton as England's most-capped men's player. An own goal from Vladimír Coufal opened the scoring after 27 minutes, and Kane added goals in the 40th and 57th minutes in front of 78,864 supporters.
How did England beat Czechia?
Thomas Tuchel's side controlled the game from the first whistle. England had 64.4% of the ball and 17 attempts, while Czechia managed five shots and none of them hit the target, according to ESPN's match data.
The breakthrough came from a Kane cross that Coufal turned into his own net. Shortly before the break, Elliot Anderson lifted the ball out to Morgan Rogers, whose cross was finished low by Kane from the centre of the box. Twelve minutes into the second half, the captain headed in Lewis Hall's delivery after a corner to make it 3-0. Sky Sports noted that Kane had a hand in all three goals. He was replaced in the 81st minute and left the pitch to a standing ovation.
| Minute | Event | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 27' | Own goal | Vladimír Coufal (Czechia) |
| 40' | Goal, assisted by Morgan Rogers | Harry Kane |
| 53' | Yellow card | Myles Lewis-Skelly |
| 57' | Header, assisted by Lewis Hall | Harry Kane |
Who started for England?
Tuchel picked Jordan Pickford in goal behind a back line of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah, Marc Guéhi and Lewis Hall. Jude Bellingham, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Elliot Anderson formed the midfield, with Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers and Kane in attack. Sky Sports singled out Alexander-Arnold, Hall, Bellingham, Anderson and Lewis-Skelly for their performances.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Kane said the occasion was "beyond my wildest dreams", while insisting that the result mattered more than his personal milestone.
What does the win mean in Group A3?
England finished the October window with three wins from four Nations League fixtures and 14 goals in the international break, including the 7-0 win in Croatia on Saturday and a 2-0 victory in Prague a week earlier. Their only defeat came in the opening game, 3-2 at home to Spain.
Spain stayed top after coming from behind to win 2-1 in Croatia on the same night. The table after four rounds:
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | +7 | 12 |
| 2 | England | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | +11 | 9 |
| 3 | Croatia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -10 | 3 |
| 4 | Czechia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -8 | 0 |
The top two in each League A group go through to the quarter-finals. England are six points clear of Croatia with two games left, and Sky Sports reported that one more point would be enough to secure a place in the last eight.
When do England play next?
England's final two group fixtures are in November. They host Croatia at Wembley on Thursday 12 November (7.45pm GMT) and then travel to Madrid to face Spain at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Sunday 15 November (7.45pm GMT). The trip to Spain could decide who finishes top of the group.
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