Here’s a scenario: someone presents you with a bank card, a pin number and tells you – with no strings attached, no catch – to go to a machine and make a withdrawal. You don’t know what you are going to do.
Of course, you would do well for yourself. Well, here in Serravalle, we witnessed the sporting equivalent of that situation as Harry Kane did what the rest of England’s squad anticipated by going on a scoring spree that took him ever closer to history.
Qualification for the World Cup was always going to be confirmed in San Marino, all we needed to know was how many goals England would plunder in Group I’s final fixture – and with Kane on the teamsheet, it had the potential to be a lot.
Harry Kane (left), scored four goals in the first half to help England qualify for 2022 World Cup. England beat San Marino 10-0.
Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions, (right), only needed one point in order to move on to Qatar. However, they prevailed with an emphatic victory
It worked. In normal circumstances Kane could have skipped this trip. However, Kane told Gareth Southgate on Friday, after his win against Albania, that he was keen to return. This, to be clear, wasn’t a captain leading his team into battle: this was hunter sensing blood.
It is now inevitable that Kane will become this country’s leading scorer, the only question now is when he will get there. While there is certain to be some eye-rolling given the current world, we should still feel the accomplishment.
Consider how long Sir Bobby Charlton had been out on his own. Think about the anguish Gary Lineker felt when he was unable to take over and the happiness that Wayne Rooney experienced as a result of moving up the tree. It speaks volumes that Kane was able to have this conversation in seven years.
Kane is a key reason that other nations won’t want England to host the next tournament in April. He has already scored 26 goals over 27 matches since September 2019.
Harry Maguire was the leader of the Three Lions on just six minutes. After causing early pressure, Phil Foden crashed into Harry Maguire’s corner.
Bukayo Saka shot was deflected by Fillippo Fabbri, and in to net for England’s second goal at Serravalle on Monday night
San Marino knew they were on a hiding to nothing but, perhaps, they went a little bit overboard in their efforts to be welcoming hosts: to hear Three Lions, Football’s Coming Home Again and Sweet Caroline – all those summer anthems – being willingly played by the stadium DJ raised an eyebrow.
You couldn’t even compare this to a Premier League team being drawn away to someone from the National League in the FA Cup because, in that scenario, you know the plucky underdogs will have a go and make life as difficult as possible for as long as possible.
These players will not have the opportunity to experience a game without stress. England’s only problem was trying to keep their feet on a patch of cabbage patches. Club managers would be worried.
The team did not need to worry. The charade of this being a contest was over after five minutes and six seconds, when Harry Maguire rose to thud home a header that broke the deadlock – no ear-cupping in celebration, this time – and, from that point, it became about statistics.
England was awarded a penalty because of Dante Rossi’s handball. Kane redeemed England by scoring the spot kick right down the middle
Bukayo Saka, the wonderfully gifted Arsenal flyer, started the game with a spring in his step – he plays with an infectious and energetic zest – and a dart into the area ended with him cutting in from the left and firing in a shot that the hapless Filippo Fabri turned into his own net.
Southgate demanded respect from his players and that they take it seriously. He would be pleased that the team continued to play. Kane was the only one who took it seriously and he began his own crusade shortly afterwards.
His first came via the penalty spot after VAR spotted that Dante Rossi had handled Phil Foden’s acrobatic scissor kick and he dispatched with the minimum of fuss; number two arrived five minutes later, as he was in the right place to finish good work by Arsenal’s Emile Smith-Rowe.
A 13-minute hat-trick was completed with another penalty after another San Marino handball and his fourth, which put him level with Lineker on 48 – and England’s sixth – came in the 41st minute when he danced around a couple of challenges and poked in his finish.
Kane scored from Emile Smith Rowe’s cross to score his fourth and England’s sixth goals just before halftime
What if England was finished? No chance. There was no way.
This was yet another historical moment. It was also the first 10 goal victory margin against the United States since 1964. England’s prowess was so great that it even fooled the stadium scorer. He had Jude Bellingham listed as one of his scorers, but his strike was disallowed.
It was a good night but who will remember it? Aaron Ramsdale was one of those who struggled to stay awake and focused during his cap first. He can be assured bigger tests will arrive in the future – specifically in Qatar in 2022.
Emile Smith Rowe was seven for his first England trip, when he crashed home Tammy Abraham’s flicker inside the box.
Just after Rossi had been sent for San Marino because of a foul on debutant Connor Gallagher’s, Tyrone Mings took over England’s eighth.
Tammy Abraham scored 9 goals for England. Saka (above), made it 10 with a goal from close range.
Sportsmail’s SAM BLITZ, a Sportsmail journalist was live on the blog during World Cup qualifying coverage for San Marino against Brazil England