London, Nov 13 (IANS) England midfielder Morgan Rogers hailed captain Harry Kane's relentless work ethic and winning mentality after the striker marked his record-breaking 126th international appearance with a match-winning goal in the Three Lions' 2-1 victory over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League.
Kane converted a second-half penalty at Wembley to secure all three points for Thomas Tuchel's side, who also booked their place in the quarter-finals with a game to spare.
The landmark appearance made Kane England's most-capped men's international player, taking him past former goalkeeper Peter Shilton's record of 125 appearances. The striker celebrated the occasion by scoring his 92nd international goal, adding another milestone to his remarkable career.
Rogers, who opened the scoring for England, said sharing the pitch with Kane on such a special occasion was an honour and praised the captain for maintaining the same standards despite his achievements.
"For us to be on the pitch tonight is a special honour. Credit to him, he treated it like every other game. He's relentless, keeps his work ethic and his focus, and that's where he gets the result," Rogers said after the match.
"That's why he's the Ballon d'Or winner; his mindset and his work rate are relentless. He doesn't get there by accident," he added.
Rogers had given England the lead after turning home from close range following Jude Bellingham's cutback, but Croatia responded through Petar Sucic to level the contest.
Kane eventually restored England's advantage from the penalty spot after Ivan Smolcic pulled Jarell Quansah during an England corner, ensuring the hosts came away with a hard-fought victory.
The result was particularly significant considering England had thrashed Croatia 7-0 in their previous meeting last month. However, Rogers said the hosts had anticipated a much tougher challenge this time and had to find a different approach to secure the win.
"They played differently to how we expected. They played with less fear, and it was tough. They're still good players, still Croatia who we have played before and in the World Cup in the first game we struggled against them," he said.
"We knew it wasn't going to be that type of game (7-0), we knew we'd have to dig deep and find a different way of winning, and we did that," Rogers added.
England will next travel to Madrid to face Spain on November 15 in their final UEFA Nations League group-stage fixture. Tuchel's side will be aiming for victory to secure the top spot in the group.
--IANS
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