Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell started for England against a Robert Lewandowski-less Poland, though the visitors still put up a valiant fight at Wembley in Group I. Chilwell for Luke Shaw was the only change made by Gareth Southgate from Sunday’s victory in Albania and the defender played the majority of the match at left-back before a late switch to wing-back once the points had been secured.

Starting his third game of this international break, Mount was typically lively in a more advanced midfield role but it was Raheem Sterling who made the key intervention of the first half, winning a penalty from which Harry Kane fired England in front.

Despite being pegged back on the hour by Brighton’s Jakub Moder, a thumping finish from Harry Maguire five minutes from time secured maximum points for the Three Lions. Reece James was a late substitute, earning his seventh senior cap, as England continued their 100 per cent winning start to the qualifying campaign.

Elsewhere in the same group, Armando Broja played the first half of Albania’s 2-0 win in San Marino. The teenage striker came off at half-time with the game still deadlocked, with the win taking Albania up to third on six points.

Andreas Christensen and Denmark continued their own flawless start to qualification with a 4-0 victory against Austria in Vienna. The 24-year-old lined up at centre-back and helped the Danes to a third consecutive clean sheet, which leaves them four points clear of Steve Clarke’s Scotland in Group F.

Toni Rudiger and Kai Havertz started but there was a shock loss for Germany, their first defeat in World Cup qualifying since England’s win in Munich in 2001, as North Macedonia ran out 2-1 winners.

Joachim Low, the coach who has announced his departure following the Euros this summer, used Havertz on the right of a front three and Rudiger in a back four. Timo Werner replaced Havertz after 56 minutes and had a good chance with the score at 1-1 but fired wide. Die Mannschaft are now third in the group with six points.

There were no such issues for Italy in Lithuania as Emerson Palmieri started at left-back and they triumphed 2-0, with the Blues defender replaced for the final 34 minutes.

France also won, albeit by a narrower scoreline in Sarajevo as they beat Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-0. Olivier Giroud replaced Kingsley Coman on the hour mark, with Antoine Griezmann’s winner coming just a minute later. Kurt Zouma was an unused substitute, while N’Golo Kante left the camp last week to return to Cobham for treatment on a small hamstring injury.

Callum Hudson-Odoi was another early returnee from national team duty, the young winger leaving England’s Under-21 camp in Slovenia ahead of their final group game against Croatia, which the young Lions won 2-1 this afternoon.

Conor Gallagher came in for his first start at the tournament in midfield, while Marc Guehi dropped out of the side. Goals from Crystal Palace’s Ebere Eze and Liverpool’s Curtis Jones looked to be enough for Aidy Boothroyd’s youngsters, who needed a two-goal winning margin to advance to the quarter-finals, but a stoppage-time strike sent them crashing out. Gallagher played 72 minutes.

With the final international break of the season now over, attention reverts to club matters as the Premier League returns this weekend.