SOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) – England recovered from conceding a goal after 35 seconds to score five times in the first half in a wild 5-3 win over Kosovo on Tuesday (Sept 10), maintaining the team's perfect start to qualifying for next year's European Championship.
Jadon Sancho scored twice in two minutes – the 19-year-old winger's first goals at senior international level – to cap an England comeback that also featured goals for Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane. There was also an own-goal.
Kosovo's commitment to attack left the team wide open at the back but threatening going forward, making for an end-to-end match at St. Mary's Stadium in Southampton on a rare occasion England wasn't playing a home international at Wembley Stadium.
Valon Berisha took advantage of a careless pass from England defender Michael Keane to put Kosovo ahead inside the first minute, and also scored at the start of the second half with a curling effort into the top corner in the 49th.
When Vedat Muriqi converted a 55th-minute penalty, after the forward himself was tripped by England defender Harry Maguire, there was an outside chance that Kosovo – only accepted as a member of UEFA and FIFA in 2016 – was going to keep alive its unbeaten 15-match run stretching back two y