Kane Penalty Earns 2-1 Win Over Croatia to Lock in Last-Eight Spot
England secured a place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals on November 12, 2026, defeating Croatia 2-1 at Wembley Stadium. International football supporters saw Harry Kane mark a record-breaking 126th national team appearance by converting the decisive second-half penalty, moving manager Thomas Tuchel’s side to 12 points from five matches in Group A3.
Spain extend 44-match unbeaten run to set up Madrid group decider
Morgan Rogers opened the scoring for England in the first half before Petar Sucic equalised for Croatia on the hour mark following a mistake by Jarell Quansah. England regained the lead after Ivan Smolcic pulled Quansah to the ground during a corner, allowing Kane to score his 92nd international goal from the spot following a VAR review. Group leaders Spain retained top spot on 15 points after a 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic in Prague through an Alex Baena penalty and a late strike from Marc Pubill, extending their unbeaten streak in competitive matches to 44 games ahead of Sunday’s group decider against England in Madrid.
In Group A1, Italy recovered from an early deficit in Milan to beat France 3-1, inflicting a first defeat on Zinedine Zidane since he took charge of the French national team. Michael Olise scored early for France following a loose pass from Gianluigi Donnarumma, but Francesco Pio Esposito scored twice alongside a Davide Frattesi powered strike to place Italy above France on head-to-head records. Both teams remain tied on 10 points ahead of the final round of group fixtures.
