Scotland hosted England in a special friendly to mark the 150th anniversary of the first international fixture played between the two nations. Fans flocked to Hampden Park for the latest renewal of this old rivalry hoping to see the hosts continue their impressive form but it was England who dominated the first half.
They controlled the tempo and created the better early chances as Steve Clarke’s men failed to get to grips with the match. Phil Foden broke the deadlock with a deft touch to turn Kyle Walker’s skewed shot into the back of the net before an exceptional Jude Bellingham doubled the lead three minutes later when he latched onto Andy Robertson’s miscontrolled ball inside the penalty area.
Bellingham is back with his England teammates after making a sensational start to life at Madrid, where he has scored five goals in four games since joining from Borussia Dortmund in June for a fee that could reach $139 million.
He is quickly establishing himself as one of the world's elite players and is likely to be central to England's bid to win next year's European Championship.
"He's so mature for his age, an unreal talent, a massive talent and important for us with the way we play," Foden said. "We need Jude a lot and it's a pleasure to play with him, and we link up really well."
Ali Aitken from Edinburgh came to watch the match with friend Oliver Bonnington, from North Berwick. They kept their expectations tempered.
Ali said: "I thought we would have got off to a better start. There's been a couple of mistakes.
"From previous form, we should be able to pull it back but it's Scotland so you never know what could happen.
"I think Scotland should be more fired up than England. It means lots to Scotland if they win. This means a lot for the fans as well.
Bellingham was the provider with a disguised pass on the edge of the box and Kane finished clinically for his record-extending 59th goal for England.
"England started like the top side they are. We're not there, but we're trying to develop, trying to get better," Scotland coach Steve Clarke said. "We've always come back stronger from adversity, and let's hope that's the case."
Scotland needs two points to qualify for Euro 2024.
"The camp's been a success, because we've got a perfect record in the qualifying group. We're in a good place," Clarke added.
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