Kane scores then creates

TIRANA • Harry Kane revealed that he has no qualms playing in a deeper role for England, after scoring in their 2-0 win against Albania on Sunday in a playmaking role he has executed well for Tottenham Hotspur this season.

The striker ended his run of 496 minutes without an international goal before assisting Mason Mount for the second, as England made it two successive Group I victories on the road to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

ITV pundits Roy Keane and Ian Wright believe Kane should be playing further forward for England but the No. 9 is content in the creative role. In the 63rd minute, Kane seized on Albania's risky attempt to play out from the back and played a perfect pass to Mount, who guided a crisp finish into the far corner.

"There has been a lot of talk about it this season for club, but I feel like for country I have been doing it more regularly," said Kane, who is on course to become just the third player to finish a Premier League season with the most goals and the most assists, after Andrew Cole and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

"Obviously we have got great pace on the wings, great forward runners from midfield. So it is natural for me to drop and try to create play."

England manager Gareth Southgate also sees the merits of having Kane in a deep-lying role after watching his side struggle to find space and break down the well-organised underdogs until his captain netted late in the first half in Tirana.

"It did create more space for other people," he said.

"The longer the game went on we didn't need to push for the goals... (Kane) coming deeper and linking the play helped us retain the ball.

"I like that part of Harry's game. It helps to overload the midfield... as long as we got the runners going in behind to exploit the space he leaves that's not a problem."

But Southgate conceded that there is work to do as a whole, following a scrappy display against a team 62 places below them (fourth) in the Fifa world rankings.

England finish their qualifying triple-header with a clash against Poland at Wembley tomorrow that was billed as a shoot-out between Kane and Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski.

Goals Harry Kane has for England, making him sixth on the scoring list.

But the reigning World Player of the Year has been ruled out with a right knee injury, the Polish Football Association said yesterday.

The Bayern Munich forward suffered the injury during Sunday's 3-0 win over Andorra in Warsaw in which he scored two goals but had to leave the field in the 63rd minute. Poland are third in Group I on four points, two behind England and level with Hungary.

Like the Three Lions, France, Germany and Italy all head their groups after victories on Sunday while Spain left it late to win in Georgia.

World champions France got their first win of the campaign by beating Kazakhstan 2-0 in Nur-Sultan after a stuttering start to qualifying with Wednesday's 1-1 draw at home to Ukraine.

Le Bleus moved top of the Group D standings with four points, two ahead of Finland and Ukraine, who drew 1-1 in Kiev.

It was a more nervous affair for Spain, who needed a stoppage-time goal from half-time substitute Dani Olmo to grab a 2-1 win away to Georgia in Group B. La Roja have four points, two behind leaders Sweden, who maintained their 100 per cent start with a 3-0 win in Kosovo.

Germany are also off to a perfect start after an early Serge Gnabry goal gave them a 1-0 win over Romania in Group J.

Italy top Group C with maximum points after Andrea Belotti and Manuel Locatelli secured a 2-0 win over Bulgaria in Sofia.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS