UPDATE 1-Soccer-Kane treble helps England qualify for Euro 2020 with 7-0 win

Harry Kane scored a first half hat-trick as England booked their place in the finals of Euro 2020 with an easy 7-0 victory over Montenegro at Wembley Stadium on Thursday.

England lead Group A on 18 points with just one game remaining and can now look forward to next year's tournament in which the semi-finals and final will be played at Wembley. Montenegro, level on three points with Bulgaria at the bottom of the table, offered no examination of the credentials of Gareth Southgate's side for the tournament, which begins in June, but England's total of 33 goals from their seven games so far certainly shows the potency of their attack.

Southgate again put his faith in youth, with the starting line-ups average age of 23 years and 255 days, the youngest Three Lions side since 1959. As expected, Manchester City's Raheem Sterling was left out by Southgate as punishment for his role in an altercation with Liverpool's Joe Gomez at England's training camp on Monday.

But England have no shortage of options in attack with Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford lining up alongside Kane in a three-pronged attack. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose progress with the national team has been hampered by injury, put England ahead in the 11th minute, drilling into the bottom corner after left-back Ben Chilwell found him with a clever chip over the defence.

Leicester City full-back Chilwell then created the second, seven minutes later, with a free-kick that picked out Kane, who smartly glanced home a header. The same pair combined for the third, in the 24th minute, with Kane losing his marker to simply head in a corner from Chilwell.

Manchester United striker Rashford drove home the fourth, after Montenegro goalkeeper Milan Mijatovic parried out a Harry Maguire header. Kane wrapped up his hat-trick in the 37th minute, with a sharp turn and shot into the bottom corner as England went into the break 5-0 up.

Mason Mount had a goal disallowed for offside after the break but an own goal from Aleksandar Sofranac made it six after a scramble in the box. Substitute Tammy Abraham grabbed his first England goal, six minutes from the end, sliding in at the near post to convert a low cross from Sancho.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)