England striker Harry Kane was in fine form once more as his side inched closer to booking to booking a spot at next year's FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The 27-year-old striker scored a perfect hat-trick as the Catalans grabbed an emphatic 5-0 win over Albania to maintain their status as the leaders of Group I in the European World Cup qualifying campaign.
Two draws in their last three group game for Gareth Southgate's men had opened up the possibility for fast-chasing Poland to potentially ruin the party for the last edition's semi-finalists. However, the possibility took a very big hit with the men in white putting up a great show to secure all the three points at Wembley. Harry Maguire opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a header before Kane's cameo was ushered in when he headed in from close range in the 18th minute.
Albania's poor defensive unit was further exposed when Jordan Henderson manoeuvred his way past a couple of players and slotted home England's third of the night from close range. Shortly after, Kane got second of the night from a tight angle and then secured what was his fourth England hat-trick with a brilliant scissor-kick on the verge of half-time. With the second half failing to produce any goals, the Tottenham Hotspur superstar became the first player to score a perfect hat-trick (header, left-foot, right-foot) for England since David Platt in February 1993 against San Marino.
So far, Kane has scored 37 goals in competitive matches for England, equalling the record set by Wayne Rooney. The five goals scored against Albania also meant that the Three Lions have scored 41 goals in 2021 - their most ever in a calendar year, overtaking their previous most of 39 in 1908. On the table in Group I, it is mathematically possible for Poland to usurp Gareth Southgate's men and snatch the automatic qualification spot but at least a draw against San Marino on November 15 should be enough to take them to the promise land.
