Kane matches Shilton's England appearance mark on milestone Wembley night

LONDON, Oct 6 - Captain Harry Kane matched Peter Shilton's England men's record of 125 appearances when he led the side against the Czech Republic in the Nations League at Wembley on Tuesday.

The latest milestone came at the stadium where Kane's England journey began more than 11 years ago.

The Bayern Munich striker, already his country's all-time leading scorer with 89 goals, made an instant impact on his 2015 debut when he came off the bench against Lithuania in a European Championship qualifier and scored 79 seconds later.

"I think it's always special, even just walking out now and seeing the stadium, just the excitement of what's to come," Kane told ITV on Tuesday. "I try and never take it for granted. It's obviously a special night tonight, but as always, we've got to focus on the job."

Kane has become one of the defining figures of the national team, breaking Wayne Rooney's scoring record and surpassing him as England's most-capped outfield player at the World Cup earlier this year.

The 33-year-old also broke Gary Lineker's England men's World Cup scoring record this past summer, drawing level on 10 with a double against Croatia, then moving clear with a goal against Panama. By the end of the tournament, Kane had extended the record to 14 World Cup goals.

Shilton, whose cap record has stood since 1990, posted a congratulatory message on X.

"You will go on and beat (the record) in November, I'm sure of that, and maybe go on and set a record that will never be beaten," he said in a video. "Because you're still going strong, Harry, still playing well and scoring goals, and I know how much dedication and hard work you've actually put into achieving this." REUTERS