Led by England's all-time record goalscorer, Harry Kane, England's national football team has celebrated a successful start to European Championship qualification, beating defending champions Italy. With 2:1 (2:0) the Three Lions defeated the Italians on Thursday evening at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona thanks to a strong first half.

Captain Harry Kane scored the 54th goal in the English national football team for the European Championship runners-up, who had to admit defeat to the Italians on penalties in the European Championship final three and a half years ago at Wembley Stadium. The 29-year-old centre forward from Tottenham Hotspur moved past Wayne Rooney.

Kane scored in his 81st international match from the penalty spot (44th minute). According to video view, the referee had decided on handplay of Giovanni Di Lorenzo in an aerial duel with Kane.

"A wonderful performance," congratulated former professional Gary Lineker, who himself scored 48 goals for England, immediately via Twitter.

Ronaldo becomes international record player

Declan Rice had given the visitors of coach Gareth Southgate the lead in the 13th minute. Mateo Retegui (56th) scored for Italy after the break. From the 80th minute, the English had to play after a yellow-red card against Luke Shaw in outnumbered.

Cristiano Ronaldo also set a new record in the 4:0 (1:0) of his Portuguese against Liechtenstein. With his 197th international match, the 38-year-old attacker, who scored two goals on Thursday evening, surpassed Bader Al-Mutawa from Kuwait and thus became the international record international player.

Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal in 2003 and became the first player to score at five different World Cups. With 120 goals, he is also the international record scorer. "Records are my motivation. I want to become the player with the most stakes in history. That would make me proud," Ronaldo said on Wednesday: "But that should not have been it, I would like to be called up very often."

At the World Cup in Qatar, the five-time world footballer was only used as a joker in the round of sixteen and quarter-finals, since January the former Belgium coach Roberto Martinez is the new head coach of the Selecao. Ronaldo is currently under contract with Saudi club Al-Nassr.