The Three Lions’ ability to beat the very best came under scrutiny once again, with defensive lapses proving costly in a 3-2 defeat to Spain on Saturday.
Facing the lowest-ranked team in the group may have given Thomas Tuchel’s side cause for optimism, but those familiar rearguard weaknesses came to the fore in the opening exchanges, with early chances falling to Lukas Cerv and Pavel Sulc.
England looked threatening going forward, though, and were within inches of breaking the deadlock when Morgan Rogers was allowed to turn inside the box, seeing his shot rebound off the post, before Elliot Anderson and Bukayo Saka both had their follow-up strikes blocked.
It looked like the momentum was shifting in favour of Tuchel’s men, as VAR upgraded Sulc’s yellow card to a red following a studs-up challenge on Anderson.
Gordon then tried his luck with an angled strike which stung Matej Kovar’s palms, before the Czech keeper made a fine one-handed stop to deny Kane with half-time approaching.
An England opening goal was looking increasingly inevitable, and it duly arrived just one minute and eight seconds after the restart when Gordon met Trent Alexander-Arnold’s enticing delivery with a perfectly timed header that nestled in the bottom corner.
Gordon then looked to turn provider for Lewis Hall, whose close-range shot flew wide of the post.
The visitors then hit the woodwork for the second time, as Ladislav Krejci got in front of Rogers to divert Hall’s cross onto the post.
However, the second Three Lions goal came via a familiar source when Kane fired home a loose ball from inside the box to put the kibosh on any Czech comeback hopes.
James Trafford was having a quiet night in between the sticks, but was called into action to push away Adam Hlozek’s shot.
Rogers and Eberechi Eze both had chances to add extra gloss to the scoreline, with the latter’s shot prompting a fine one-handed stop by Kovar.
Ultimately, Tuchel’s side were made to settle for two, providing the perfect response to Saturday’s defeat against the world champions.
Meanwhile, Santi Denia’s hosts are still awaiting their first competitive victory inside 90 minutes (D3, L4) in 2026, and few would back them to end that run against Spain in four days’ time.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)