“Nations League”: Kane leads England to victory over Croatia and reach the second round

The English national team secured its qualification to the quarter-finals of the European Nations League, after defeating its Croatian guest 2-1, on Thursday, in the fifth round of the third group in the first level.

England raised its score to 12 points in second place, three points behind world champion Spain, while Croatia's score stagnated at three points in third place.

The England national team celebrated its captain, Harry Kane, before the start of the match, after he won the Ballon d'Or award and reached 126 international matches, becoming the most capped player in the English national team in history, amid a high-level presence in the presence of Prince William, the Crown Prince, and former international goalkeeper Peter Shilton, the previous record holder with 125 international matches.

The English team took the lead through Morgan Rogers in the 24th minute, then Petr Susic equalized for the Croatian team in the 59th minute.

In the 64th minute, the England team scored the second goal through Harry Kane from a penalty kick, leading his team to qualify for the next round in a historic night.

The Spanish national team strengthened its lead in Group C of the first level of the European Nations League, after defeating its host, the Czech national team, 2-0.

The Spanish national team raised its score to 15 points in first place, three points behind the second-placed England national team, before their expected meeting on Sunday in the sixth and final round of the group.

On the other hand, the Czech team is at the bottom of the group without a score, ensuring its relegation to the second level in the next season of the tournament.

The Spanish national team scored its first goal in the 39th minute through Alex Baena from a penalty kick, before his teammate Mark Bobel added the second goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time in the second half.

The match witnessed the captain of the Czech national team, Ladislav Krejci, being sent off in the 72nd minute, leaving the team to complete the match with ten players.

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced that the Dominican Republic national team will replace the American national team in the U-17 World Cup, after the American national team announced its withdrawal from the tournament.

FIFA confirmed on Thursday that the United States national team had withdrawn from the U-17 World Cup, scheduled to start in Qatar next week.

The tournament, which will witness the participation of 48 teams, will begin in Doha next Wednesday, and the American team was scheduled to begin its campaign against Montenegro on November 21, before facing Chile and Algeria.

FIFA said in a statement: “FIFA understands that the US Soccer Federation’s decision came in light of the current Level 3 US travel warning,” noting that Qatar hosted other sporting events safely during the current year.

According to the tournament regulations, the US Football Association faces a fine of no less than 20,000 Swiss francs (about 24,000 dollars), by decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, due to withdrawal less than 30 days before the start of the tournament.

Qatar will host five consecutive editions of the U-17 World Cup during the period from 2025 to 2029.