Video Loading
Video Unavailable
England produced a rampant performance in the first-half at Wembley as they smashed five past Montenegro to virtually confirm their path to Euro 2020
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – making his first Three Lions start in over 18 months – opened the scoring after firing a low drive into the corner after 11 Minutes.
Captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick as he continues to chase down that England goal-scoring record.
His first two were headers, the first from Ben Chilwell’s free-kick, who had also set up the opener, before Kane added another after connecting with a corner.
Marcus Rashford then made it four, after collecting a rebound before curling a shot inside the post, before Kane finished off Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross for the fifth.
Follow all the action , as it happens, below.
England Starting XI:Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Maguire, Chilwell; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Winks, Mount; Sancho, Kane, Rashford.
Montenegro Starting XI: Mijatovic, Vesovic, Sofranac, Simic, Radunovic, Hocko, Lagator, Vukcevic, Jovovic, Haksabanovic, Beqiraj
RATINGS
Player ratings
England’sThree Lions ripped Montenegro apart in their 1000 th game to book their tickets for next summer’s European Championships.
Gareth Southgate’s stars – the youngest side in 60 years – shrugged off the controversy surrounding Raheem Sterling’s bust up with Joe Gomez on Monday to demolish Montenegro.
Skipper Harry Kane had earlier grabbed a hat-trick while (Leicester) left-back Ben Chilwell provided a hat-trick of assists with Alex Oxlade- Chamberlain and Marcus Rashford joining in the fun.
Montenegro defender Aleksander Sofranac put the ball through his own net with 24 minutes left for 6-0.
Kane’s treble left England top of Group A and means he has now scored 31 times for his country. The Spurs hitman now needs just nine more to go level with Michael Owen on 40 international goals.
Kane is the first player to score a hat-trick in consecutive appearances for England at Wembley, having netted three against Bulgaria last time out.
He is also now England’s all-time highest scoring starting captain with 24 goals.
England had raced into a 4-0 lead after just half an hour – the earliest they had done so for 73 years – before Kane added their fifth shortly before half time.
A host of Three Lions legends, including Paul Gascoigne, Trevor Francis, David Seaman and Wayne Rooney were then presented to the Wembley crowd at half time.
Here are player ratings from a comfortable victory at Wembley …
Jordan Pickford 8
Amid the goal rush kept his wits about him to save superbly from Simic.
Trent Alexander-Arnold 8
His deliveries into the box should come wrapped in a red ribbon. A gift for Kane’s hat-trick.
6
Six talking points .. .
On the night where England celebrated 147 years of history with their 1000 th game, the Three Lions enjoyed one of their easiest nights out, destroying Montenegro to book their place at the Euro 2020 finals.
Gareth Southgate’s men had no need for the axed Raheem Sterling at Wembley, scoring five times in 26 first-half minutes.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, making his first international start since suffering a serious knee injury in the Champions League in April 2018, opened the scoring after 11 minutes, brilliantly firing home after being found by Ben Chilwell.
Skipper Harry Kane soon got in on the act, scoring twice – both from balls by Leicester left -back Chilwell – before Marcus Rashford coolly made it 4-0 on the half hour mark.
Kane helped himself to a history- making third after 37 minutes, before a thumping own goal from Aleksandar Sofranac in the 66 th minute.
Tammy Abraham, Chelsea’s in-form center-forward, completed the rout late in the day, turning home Jadon Sancho’s cross.
On a night where England scored seven, here are six talking points from Wembley ….
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
FULL-TIME
FT: England 7-0 Montenegro
It’s all over at Wembley, and it’s a big win for England who will be at Euro 2020 Next summer.
They had little to stand in their way on this performance, completely sweeping aside a hapless Montenegro.
Seven goals, three of which went to Harry Kane in the first half.
The England skipper followed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s opener up with two headers, before adding his third after Marcus Rashford’s goal.
A debut for James Maddison, an own goal from Alexsandar Sofranac and a first senior international goal for Tammy Abraham wrapped up proceedings, on what was a great night’s work for Gareth Southgate’s men .
GOAL! England 7-0 Montenegro (Abraham, 85)
There’s the seventh, and a first senior international goal for Tammy Abraham.
The Chelsea man got his toe on the end of a low Sancho cross to poke it past Mijatovic from close range.
Group A
Czech Republic have leveled in their clash with Kosovo, which is crucial to their qualification hopes.
Kosovo must surely now feel they need a winner there, with the Czech’s now back up to second by a point.
75
This game is fizzling out somewhat. Quarter of an hour to play.
Rashford looking the brightest for England out there, but the Mexican wave is on the go round the stadium – it’s that kind of night.
70
Sub for England
Mason Mount makes way, and the man in the news this week Joe Gomez is on to replace him.
Raheem Sterling gives his teammate a clap from the stands as he enters the field.
Friends again it seems.
66KEY EVENT
GOAL! England 6-0 Montenegro (Sofranac own goal, 66)
Six for England , and this one was a real pinball of a goal.
Rashford hared into the box, and tried to squad across goal for Sancho. The ball hit him rather than the other way round, and seemed to bounce around as Alexander-Arnold helped it back in.
Montenegro defender Alexsandar Sofranac stuck a leg out and the ball came off his knee, onto the crossbar and in. Classic.
62
Chilwell’s corner is high, Maguire meets it but can’t keep it down and it flies over the bar.
60
Maddison getting on the ball early, though a couple of passes don’t quite come off round the box, but good vision from the Leicester man.
He’ll be desperate to make an impression, along with Abraham.
EURO 2020
Group A
In the other Group A tie Czech Republic are losing to Kosovo, who will go ahead of them in the table to second if they can hold on.
That result would suit England, who would seal first place in the group ahead of Sunday’s
56
Subs for England
Kane off, Abraham on.
Oxlade-Chamberlain off, and Maddison is on for his England debut.
55
GOA … NO.
Mount has the ball in the net and wheels away in celebration, but it’s quickly ruled out.
Kane’s effort was parried by Mijatovic and Mount was on hand to poke it in, but he’d strayed offside.
49
Montenegro starting the second half camped in their own half, presumably to try and salvage some pride from this contest.
England happy to knock the ball around and try and add to their tally.
Expect their to be some early substitutions in this half, and potentially a debut for James Maddison.
46
We’re back underway …
Montenegro get the game going again as they look for at least some form of improvement on the first half.
HARRY KANE
Kane sets England hat-trick record
Harry Kane’s first-half hat-trick against Monte negro made him the highest England goalscorer as captain of all time.
The Spurs man netted his first after 19 minutes when Ben Chilwell floated in a free kick which he headed beyond the goalkeeper.
He doubled his tally just six minutes later when he headed home again from a Chilwell corner, and sealed the hat-trick when he tucked away Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross.
The three goals put him on 31 in total in an England shirt but he has now also moved past Vivian Woodward to make him the highest-scori ng captain, with 24 of his goals coming while he has served as captain compared to Woodward’s 23.
(Read more)
HALF-TIME
HT: England 5-0 Montenegro
There’s the whistle for the half-time break, and relief for Montenegro , who have been well and truly put to the sword here at Wembley.
Harry Kane has netted a first-half hat-trick, two of which with his head , after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had opened the scoring on his first England start in (months.)
Marcus Rashford got in on the act too to grab England’s fourth, and they’ve all-but sealed their path to Euro 2020.
It wasn’t without issue, as Jordan Pickford has twice denied the visitors with good saves, but the Three Lions have been rampant on the attack.
More action – and hopefully more goals – to come …
40
Pi ckford called into action
Montengro show they can still provide a threat on the break.
Beqiraj races clear of the England defense, but Pickford stands tall to parry his shot away.
37KEY EVENT
GOAL! England 5-0 Montenegro (Kane, 37)
Hat-trick for Kane, five for England, and Montenegro are sinking without trace.
Alexander-Arnold crossed in from the right, it found Kane’s feet, who turned a shot low past the keeper.
This could turn into a cricket score if the visitors don’t start defending.
33
Vesovic goes into the book for a headbutt on Rashford. It was more than your usual butting of heads, after Rashford had complained about his over-enthusiastic tackling.
32
Hospital defending from Montenegro and Rashford almost scores with a backheel.
Sancho raced away after a poor attempt at a tackle, but he couldn’t find a white shirt.
Luckily for him the ball bounced kindly for Rashford who tried a cheeky attempt with his back to goal. Mijatovic saves but not sure how much he knew about it.
30KEY EVENT
GOAL! England 4-0 Montenegro (Rashford, 30)
This is getting out of hand already.
England’s qualification for Euro 2020 surely secure now after just half an hour.
Oxlade-Chamberlain swung a cross to the far post where Maguire met it with a diving header, but it was straight at Mijatovic.
The ball rebounded to Rashford, who cut inside a whipped a right-footed shot inside the far post to make it ***.
27
Save from Pickford!
Well England handed a warning there that it only takes a second to score a goal.
Pickford makes a great save to his left to deny Simic, who had done well to turn the ball goalwards with his head from the corner.
24KEY EVENT
GOAL! England 3-0 Montenegro (Kane, 24)
England are rocking here, and Kane has again scored with his head.
It was statue-like defending from the visitors, as Kane burst towards goal to get on the end of the corner and nod it down into the ground and back up into the roof of the net.
Euro 2020 qualification is on course.
24
Mount feeds Rashford wide on the left, who switches through the gears past Vesovic, but the Montenegro man gets back to put the ball out for a corner …
18KEY EVENT
GOAL! England 2-0 Montenegro (Kane, 18)
Chilwell’s delivery is right on the money! – Or in this case, right on Harry Kane’s head.
The England skipper had got himself in front of his man, and had little to do but help the ball on with a glancing header past Mijatovic.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
17
SAVE!
England fly for ward and Oxlade-Chamberlain slides in Rashford on the overlap.
He crashes a drive at goal from the angle but Mijatovic’s face / neck is equal to it to divert it wide.
Corner comes to nothing but England now have a free-kick on the left …
16
Vesovic skips past Chilwell, then Winks, but Maguire gets his foot in to thwart the path to goal, before heading away the resulting corner.
13
Kane goes close!
The Three Lions are almost in again.
Sancho gets down the right and lifts the ball into the air across the six-yard box. Kane meets it with his head but it’s straight at the defender.
Mount can only prod at the follow-up but Mijatovic saves.
11KEY EVENT
GOAL! England 1-0 Montenegro (Oxlade-Chamberlain, 11)
England are in front and it’s a goal on his first start in over 18 months for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Chilwell picked him out with a curling cross over to the far post, and the Ox controlled with his first touch, before striking low and hard into the far corner with his second.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings