Gareth Southgate lauds hattrick hero Harry Kane for his 'all-around game' vs Albania

The England football team thrashed Albania 5-0 on Friday night, in a match where captain Harry Kane scored a brilliant hattrick. The other two goals were scored by Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson.

Following Kane's superb performance in front of goal, England manager Gareth Southgate heaped praise on him and explained what impressed him most about the English striker's performance.

England vs Albania: Gareth Southgate heaps praise on Harry Kane

While speaking of Harry Kane after England's comfortable 5-0 win over Albania, Gareth Southgate said, "I thought he gave a brilliant centre-forward performance tonight. He held the ball up and brought other people into play. He competed, and of course, his finishing was outstanding. I thought his all-around game was excellent." He ended his post-match interview by stating that 'it would be wrong' for them to focus on anywhere else but their next match as they were not done yet.

Southgate was referring to the qualification for the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar as England still require at least a point against San Marino on Monday to confirm their place. Kane will hope to score once again in England's next game to close the gap to become the country's highest goalscorer. As things stand, the English captain is fifth on the list with 44 goals and is nine behind Wayne Rooney's record of 53.

England vs San Marino match details

England is set to take on San Marino on Monday night at the San Marino Stadium. The match is scheduled to commence live at 1:15 AM IST on November 16. As things stand in Group I of the European World Cup qualifiers, England have scored 23 points after nine games (7W, 2D) and currently lead second-placed Poland by three points.

How to watch World Cup qualifier matches live in India?

Fans wondering how to watch FIFA World Cup qualifier matches live in India can tune into the Sony Sports Network, which has the official rights to broadcast the games. The matches will be telecast live on Sony Ten 1, 2 and 3, and Sony Six SD/HD. As for the live stream, fans can tune into the SonyLIV app and Jio TV. Meanwhile, the live updates of all matches can be tracked on the social media handles of the two teams.