Kane seals England win over Croatia as Quansah error mars ratings
Harry Kane's penalty gave England a narrow Nations League win over Croatia on a historic night for the captain, while Jarell Quansah's costly mistake stood out in the player ratings.
Harry Kane converted a penalty to secure a slender Nations League victory for England against Croatia, a win made more notable by the captain becoming the nation's most capped player. The goal was Kane's 92nd for England, according to the player ratings assessment by senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel.
Kane received a rating of 6 for the performance, with the assessment highlighting both the historic milestone and his decisive contribution from the spot. Morgan Rogers also found the net, described as posing a threat down the right, and his goal was noted as his third at senior level for England; he was likewise rated 6.
The main blemish came from Jarell Quansah, whose mistake gifted Croatia their equaliser and earned him the lowest rating in the assessment, a 5. The evaluation noted he had been entirely comfortable before that error. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, rated 6, was said to have been left exposed by the mistake but was otherwise as reliable as ever.
Lewis Hall earned the highest rating of 7, with the assessment calling it another effective contribution from the Newcastle defender and asking whether he is now England's first-choice left-back. Dan Burn, a late addition to the squad who started in central defence, was described as unspectacular but largely reliable and rated 6.
Declan Rice, back after missing previous internationals through injury, was credited with conducting the midfield expertly and rated 6, while Elliot Anderson kept things ticking over and looked to play forward. Jude Bellingham was judged below his recent outstanding England level but still oozed quality in possession, also at 6. Trent Alexander-Arnold played within himself with some nice link-up play with Rogers down the right, and Anthony Gordon, sensational in the previous internationals, was less influential here. Substitutes Rio Ngumoha, Ben White and James Garner each came on for Gordon, Alexander-Arnold and Garner respectively on 78 minutes and were all rated 6.
Image: Reuters / BBC Sport
