Kane sparks England rout of Ireland and NL promotion

Associated Press London: Harry Kane's 69th international goal sparked a secondhalf scoring spree that fired England back to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League. In temporary head coach Lee Carsley's final game in charge, a 5-0 win against Ireland secured promotion and ensured England will be back among Europe's leading nations in the next edition of the competition. “I wanted the England team to be exciting to watch and attacking,” Carsley said. “I see them do it day in, day out on the training ground. And now we've seen it (on the field).” England won its group on goal difference ahead of second-placed Greece, which beat Finland 2-0.

Kane's 53rd-minute penalty at Wembley was a record-extending goal for his country after Liam Scales brought down Jude Bellingham in the box and was sent off for a second yellow card offense. Within five minutes England was 3-0 up through Anthony Gordon in the 55th and Conor Gallagher in the 58th. Substitute Jarrod Bowen made an immediate impact, scoring with his first touch in the 75th and Taylor Harwood- Bellis, making his debut, headed in another four minutes later. “A really important win for us,” Kane said. “It was a tough first half, but we came out second half with a lot more energy and we finished it off.” England, which is set to welcome new head coach Thomas Tuchel in January, needed to match Greece's result to top Group B2.

Anastasios Bakasetas had put Greece ahead in the 52nd in Finland, with Kane's England opener coming a minute later. Christos Tzolis scored the second for Greece, which faces a playoff to try to win promotion. After five wins from six games, Carsley will now return to his permanent role as head coach of England's under 21s. Tuchel begins in January and will lead the campaign to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Haaland hat trick; Erling Haaland leads the Nations League scoring charts after hitting a hat trick in Norway's 5-0 win against Kazakhastan in Group B3. The Manchester City striker took his total to seven goals and is two clear of Viktor Gyokeres, Cristiano Ronaldo and Benjamin Sesko, who are all tied on five. Norway was promoted to the top tier, ahead of second-place Austria, which drew 1-1 with Slovenia.