England rolled to 4-0 victory against Lithuania and the major storyline of the match was the continuation of Harry Kane’s top-notch form, with the Tottenham star burying his first goal only 79 seconds after he came onto the field as a substitute in the 72nd minute.
The other goals were scored by Wayne Rooney (6th minute), who struck post twice, as well as Danny Welbeck (45th minute) and Raheem Sterling (58th minute).
It was both Sterling and Kane’s first time scoring in international play.
“It’s fantastic for Harry Kane and we’re delighted for him,” said Hodgson, via BBC Sport.”It’s a bit of a fairytale but it’s nice when fairytales come true and it has come true for Harry. He has had a wonderful season and crowned his debut with a well-taken goal.”
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This win marks England’s seventh-straight victory, their longest streak since 2006, and has prompted England captain Wayne Rooney to declare the Three Lions one of the most feared international sides on the planet, stating that other nations “will be frightened” of the Rod Hodgson-led outfit.
“We’ve had some great victories, are scoring goals and have real energy around the team,” said Rooney.
“Since the World Cup we have been fantastic. A lot of teams around Europe will be looking at this team and will be frightened.”
Though England has kept winning after their disappointing World Cup exit, they haven’t really faced the caliber of competition that will vie for the World Cup 2018 title. Switzerland and Scotland were the best squads Hodgson met in this run, with other nations like Estonia and San Marino clearly far below the quality of England.
Hodgson wanted to wait a little while before starting Kane, but the forward’s quickly scored goal may compel the former West Brom manager to tweak the lineup for Italy’s friendly. Though Italy does not boast the expertise of their former power rosters, they will hand England a useful trial on Tuesday’s friendly in Turin.
