Key events
Harry Kane is asked on TV about the standard of England’s squad going into a World Cup year:
It’s as good as we’ve ever had. We’re going to go into the tournament as one of the favourites. We’ve been building, we’ve had a great year together with the new coach and now we look forward to 2026.
Full time: Albania 0-2 England
England are heading to the World Cup with a perfect qualification record. Eight wins out of eight, 22 goals scored and none conceded. Harry Kane’s double did the job here to give Thomas Tuchel a satisfactory end to 2025. Bigger tests, of course, will come next year, but things are looking up.
90+4 min: Kane isn’t and goes in search of his hat-trick. He collects Rashford’s cross and swings his left foot at it, Djimsiti deflecting the shot wide. Rashford then flashes a shot past the post from the edge of the box.
90+3 min: Albania have made all their subs so will finish with 10 men. England look content to play this one out.
90+2 min: Broja is carried off on a stretcher in tears and quite a lot of pain.
90 min: Five minutes of added time. Broja is still down and the stretcher comes on.
89 min: Broja goes down holding his ankle after turning and it looks pretty desperate. The former Chelsea striker has had so many injury problems. He’s distraught.
88 min: Rashford tests Balliu again but moves it inside this time. England look much more comfortable in possession with Foden and Anderson in midfield. Rogers is caught out but the Albania counterattack goes nowhere.
86 min: That second goal has killed the contest. Albania were well in it before that.
84 min: Morgan Rogers comes on for Bellingham, while Albania replace Laci with Pajaziti.
GOAL! Albania 0-2 England (Kane 82)
Rashford fronts up Balliu, jinks inside and whips a cross to the back post where Kane is waiting to nod it pack across goal and out of Strakosha’s reach. Quality cross and the finish you come to expect from Kane.
81 min: Asllani sends the free-kick into the box and Djimsiti is there but his header loops up and lands on the roof of the net.
80 min: Albania have made a change too. Broja is on for Bajrami. The Burnley striker sets off with Bellingham in pursuit. He holds off the England man and is brought down at the price of a booking.
78 min: Kane plays Saka in behind but his cut-back is cleared before it can reach Foden. Kane and Foden then combine on the edge of the box but the ball to Rashford is overhit.
76 min: Rashford and Anderson come on for Wharton and Bowen as planned. England and Tuchel can relax a bit, the atmosphere has fallen a bit flat.
GOAL! Albania 0-1 England (Kane 74)
The captain makes the breakthrough! Saka’s corner is flicked on at the near post by Aliji and Kane tucks it past Strakosha. Poacher’s finish. That’s 77 international goals for Kane – as many as Pelé.
73 min: Bellingham wins a corner for England as Rashford and Anderson prepare to come on. Saka heads over to take …
71 min: Albania’s left-back Aliji is down and receiving treatment as they prepare to launch a free-kick into the England box. Kane gets it clear and Asllani clatters into Wharton.
69 min: Henderson comes some way out of his goal to beat Laci to the ball with an excellent sliding challenge. Albania want a free-kick but the referee waves play on. England go up the other end and O’Reilly beautifully flicks the ball into the box. Saka hesitates and prods the ball across goal but no one is there.
67 min: Bajrami fires over! Hoxha’s cross is headed on by Burn and Bajrami takes a touch and shoots over. A presentable chance but rushed in the end.
65 min: Saka is involved straight away and has a shot saved by Strakosha. He’s leaning away from it as he hits the ball left-footed and it’s easily held by the keeper.
63 min: Saka and Foden come on for Rice and Eze. Bowen moves over to the left. Foden will play in Rice’s spot.
62 min: Stones is moving gingerly after landing badly from an aerial challenge with Laci. Changes are afoot for England.
60 min: Just over from Bellingham! Burn tries to get his head on Rice’s free-kick and inadvertently flicks the ball back to Bellingham, who is off balance and his scuffed shot goes over the bar. Good chance though.
59 min: Kane makes a run into the box between the two Albania centre-backs but Quansah’s cross is easily dealt with. England have a free-kick that Rice will launch into the box …
57 min: Strakosha saves from Eze! Bellingham’s clipped pass is perfect for Eze on the left but he can’t get the ball out of his feet properly and his shot is saved by Strakosha at close quarters. Bellingham’s backwards header from the resulting corner is also gathered by the keeper.
55 min: Stones picks out Eze in the penalty area but his cross is headed out to Bowen, who is closed down quickly and can’t get a shot away. He’s penalised for handball.
53 min: Albania have got their tails up. A ball is launched towards Uzuni but Burn gets in the way. Elliot Anderson is among those warming up for England.
51 min: Hoxha should score! Burn’s loose pass is picked up by Bajrami, who slides the ball across the penalty area to Hoxha and his first time effort is low and straight at Henderson. England massively caught out.
49 min: Henderson saves from Hoxha! The winger darts inside and launches a shot across goal from the edge of the box. It’s a good save from Henderson, diving to his left.
47 min: Bowen comes inside and picks out Rice, who touches the ball past Djimsiti and is checked by the centre-back but no foul is given. Albania go up the other end with Balliu, whose low cross is flicked on target by Laci but it’s no problem for Henderson.
Second half begins
No alterations in personnel from Tuchel at half-time.
Tom Hopkins emails in:
In terms of which ‘number tens’ are on the plane, it all feels a bit of a confected issue to me. I don’t think you can be serious about winning a World Cup without calling on what Bellingham and Palmer can give you at some stage. As far as Foden goes, it seems like the ‘build the whole team around him’ nonsense has been left in the past and Tuchel has identified a role he can compete for along with everyone else. Assuming it ends up being 30 man squads, I’m not sure you even need to make particularly hard choices to take them all.
It will be interesting to see if Tuchel tries Foden as a false nine again in the second half here. Kane has occupied Djimsiti and Ismajli and linked up well with Bowen but not had a great deal of chances of his own. Bellingham has been bright and set up the shot Bowen had saved – England’s best chance of the half – but you’re still left wanting more from him.
Half-time: Albania 0-0 England
It’s been a good test for England in the first 45 minutes in Tirana. The big experiment has been John Stones in midfield and that’s not gone brilliantly. Packing the middle of the pitch and pushing Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham forward is the intention but this is the first time Tuchel has tried it and it shows a bit. Arber Hoxha looks a real threat down Albania’s left and Jarell Quansah is having to keep a close eye on him on his debut.
45+1 min: Eze carries the ball a long way upfield but can’t find a pass. England win it back and ping it around midfield for the remainder of the one minute added on.
45 min: Bowen and Kane combine on the edge of the area but Rice is flagged offside again when the ball goes into the area. Tuchel is not best pleased. The promise of the first few minutes has faded and it often looks a bit disjointed in the final third for England now.
43 min: Kane heads away another Asllani corner. The ball goes back into the box and Quansah is there this time. Bellingham then bears down on the Albania area and lays it off to Rice, who had already made his run and is offside.
41 min: The very lively Hoxha picks the ball up and runs at Stones and Quansah again. It takes both of them to stop him but England still concede a corner. Stones heads away.
39 min: Wharton is booked after sliding in on Asllani in midfield. He gets the ball but a good chunk of Asllani’s right ankle too.
37 min: Great save by Strakosha! Bellingham feeds it to Bowen on the right, inside the area, and his right-footed shot is low and the Albania keeper gets a glove to it. Wharton’s corner is met by Quansah but his header is tame and gathered by Strakosha.
