Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain added a third in the 62nd.
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Kane had deserved a goal but was withdrawn before the hour, handing a debut to Danny Ings – the Liverpool man becoming the 33rd player Hodgson has used in this campaign.
England now face tricky tests against Spain, France and world champions Germany before Euro 2016 kicks off. “It’s not a situation where, the moment you kick the ball correctly from A to B, you’ll get in the England team”, the England manager said. Instead he was able to rebuild in a relatively comfortable group.
It should also be placed in the context of the problems faced by other so-called bigger nations.
It is also testament to how highly-rated he is by Hodgson and suggests he is in contention for a starting spot in France next year.
“He has got a long way to go yet but it is nice that he is progressing along nicely”. They have completed the mission without a blemish and for that they deserve credit. “I thought it was excellent, in the first half especially”, said Hodgson in his post-match interview. He reminds me so much of when I played with Gazza in the build-up to the World Cup in 1990.
Theo Walcott continued his fine goalscoring form with the opener on the stroke of half-time, latching on to a superb pass from Ross Barkley to turn home at the second attempt. Keeping hold of the ball and probing patiently, England finally took the lead just before the half-hour mark after Barkley cut across Mindaugas Panka and saw his hopeful drive cannon off Tomas Mikuckis and into the back of the net via a fortunate nick off the inside of the upright.
This team have only scored a dozen global goals between them, with the Ox netting the most on four, with half of these coming against San Marino.
The Three Lions were rarely troubled thereafter, with Wayne Rooney going on to break Bobby Charlton’s goalscoring record for his country, and Kane emerging as a constant goal threat on the global stage. Elegant, powerful and possessed of the ability to produce the unexpected – with a goal to decorate his display.
Roy Hodgson has often been harsh in his public assessments of Ross Barkley.
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“I’m very proud of the players ‘ performance”, he told ITV. “I think the way we approached the game and stamped our authority from the first minute meant we were not often in danger of not winning the game”. It would have been a surprise if we had not qualified. With 10 points from nine matches, they have been competent over the course of this campaign, but lack the star names and the quality to trouble the stronger sides in Europe.
