On the night he became England's most capped footballer and was presented with the Ballon d'Or trophy Harry Kane put the Three Lions into the knockout stages of the Nations League.

Of course he did.

This was always going to be Kane's night and he did not disappoint.

Kane had failed to score since being named last season's best European-based player - ie the world's best - but after plying a vital part in Morgan Rogers' opening goal, he scored his 92nd for his country to secure a 2-1 victory.

But England's captain not only scores and makes goals, he also hauls his team-mates out of the mire.

Jarell Quansah was just settling in on the naughty step after setting up Croatia's embarrassing equaliser when he had his shirt pulled in the penalty area.

Had the video assistant referee not called Morten Krogh over to the monitor, had Kane not buried the spot kick he was persuaded to award, the Thomas Tuchel favourite would have been facing some uncomfortable scrutiny.

Beaten 7-0 at home when the sides met in the last international break, Croatia were much the better in a low-key opening quarter of an hour.

SPOT ON: Harry Kane converts his penalty (Image: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

placeholder image — SPOT ON: Harry Kane converts his penalty (Image: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

But then Trent Alexander-Arnold, always a much-discussed player when it comes to England, started to twinkle.

It was the Real Madrid right-back's pirouette which started the move which ended with the Three Lions' first shot of the night, put over by Elliot Anderson.

Minutes later Alexander-Arnold had a shot block, then his excellent pass picked out Rogers, whose first-time volleyed cross was cut out, Although Josip Misic had a long-range effort which was never threatening the opposite goal, England were finally starting to find their feet.

The link-up between boyhood friends Rogers and Jude Bellingham is a good one, and having been rivals for a place in much of the build-up to the last World Cup, manager Tuchel is now playing them together.

GOLDEN BOY: Ahuge Harry Kane tifo marks the cpatain's record-breaking 126th England cap (Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

They combined for the opening goal, not the most elegant as Bellingham's cross went through two defenders to be bundled in by Rogers after the pair swapped places.

But of course the golden boy of the night played a big part.

As well as being presented with the Ballon d'Or in front of a massive tifo of himself, Kane was breaking Peter Shilton's 37-year record as England's most capped player.

It is convenient to call Kane a centre-forward but these days he is much more than that.

GOAL: Morgan Rogers finds the net (Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

He showed that by dropping deep for the umpteenth time and plying the sumptuous ball that found Bellingham out on the right.

Five minutes later, Kane was accelerating to the byline, pulling the ball back for Lewis Hall to have a shot which was touched behind for a corner. From it, his Newcastle United captain Dan Burn – part of an unfamiliar central defensive partnership with Quansah – had a header blocked.

But the first half was pretty quiet after Rogers' 24th-minute goal.

Martin Baturina nutmegged Quansah in the 33rd minute but the finish Mateo Kovacic applied at the end of the move was unworthy of it, coming at Jordan Pickford, preferred to Leeds United's James Trafford, at a very catchable height.

England came out for the second half as if they appreciated the job was not done, then set about proving it.

Kane was picked out by Declan Rice, only for his Bayern Munich team-mate Josip Stanisic to block the shot, Bellingham had an effort saved and Anthony Gordon curled a shot wide.

HONOURED: Harry Kane holds the Ballon d'Or trophy (Image: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Then the Three Lions donated an equaliser.

Burn only got a glance on a Croatia corner and Quansah nodded it into the path of Petar Sucic.

Fortunately for him, he was fouled in the penalty area three minutes later and Kane hit his kick down the middle whilst Dominik Livakovic dived left.

Croatia had only been only level terms for five minutes, and much of that was spent faffing around watching video replays.

Sucic had another go in the 69th minute, but Pickford was able to hold his shot.

Luca Modric was appreciatively cheered on by the England fans but fellow substitute Ben White, once on loan at Leeds, was booed.

Croatia pushed for a second equaliser, Nikola Vlasic outmuscling Burn before shooting just wide.

James Garner thought he had a first England goal but realised much earlier than the Wembley DJ that there was an offside flag up.

Quickly on the back of it, Quansah put in an important slide tackle on Ante Budimir, who headed a stoppage-time corner onto the roof of Pickford's net.

Rogers could have capped victory in the fourth added minute, but shot over under pressure to leave the headlines with the man who most deserved them.

England had got the job done, but they could not have without their captain fantastic.

England: Pickford; Alexander-Arnold (White 77), Quansah, Burn, Hall; Anderson, Rice (Garner 77); Rogers, Jude Bellingham, Gordon (Ngumoha 77); Kane.

Unused substitutes: Gibbs-White, Trafford, Hill, Branthwaite, Jobe Bellingham, Calvert-Lewin, Eze, King, Steele.

Croatia: Livakovic; Stanisic, Vuskovic, Gvardiol; Smolcic (Marco Pasalic 75), Misic (Modric 75), Kovacic (Majer 90), Vlasic; Baturina, Sucic (Mario Pasalic 70); Matanovic, (Budimir 70).

Unused substitutes: Caleta-Car, Galesic, Beljo, Pandur, Hrgovic, Soticek, Kotarski.

Referee: M Krogh.