England striker Harry Kane says scoring his record-breaking 54th international goal for England, which takes him above Wayne Rooney in England’s 2-0 win over Italy in Naples, means everything to him.

The Three Lions faced Italy on Thursday in the opening game of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. Although England finished the game with 10 men in the repeat of the Euro 2020 final, it was still a historic night for England, who got their first victory over Italy away from home in over 60 years.

A game that also saw manager Gareth Southgate record his 50th win for England and Harry Kane becoming England’s record goalscorer.

England looked good enough for the lead early, and Declan Rice made sure of that after 13 minutes. Harry Kane wouldn’t have to wait for his moment of history as he dispatched a penalty before halftime after Giovanni Di Lorenzo handled the ball in the box.

Although Mateo Retegui halved the deficit in the second half and Luke Shaw was sent off, England held on for their first win in 61 years in Italy while Harry Kane went home fulfilled.

“It means everything. I was so excited to put the England shirt on, get back out here, and get the campaign started for next year’s Euros. It had to be a penalty, and once it hit the back of the net, huge emotion. A magical moment. The World Cup was a difficult way to end, but we spoke this week about getting back to it. We are one of the best teams in Europe. Getting this win shows we are ready for the challenge.” Kane said.

England’s next game will be against Ukraine in Wembley on Sunday, 26 March. Elsewhere Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal beat Liechtenstein 4-0 in a game which we became the most-capped international player ever with 197 appearances.

Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva both got the Portuguese first two goals before Ronaldo’s brace.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu