England captain Harry Kane was proud of the way England dug deep to avoid a chastening defeat to Scotland.
The 114th meeting of international football’s oldest rivals initially looked to be going the visitors’ way after substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hushed the Hampden roar.
But an unremarkable World Cup qualifier ended extraordinarily as Leigh Griffiths levelled with a wonderful late free-kick, before repeating the trick to put Gordon Strachan’s side on the brink of a famous victory.
Yet England rallied rather than wilted in stoppage time as Kane, wearing the captain’s armband for the first time, met a superb Raheem Sterling cross with an even better finish to snatch a 2-2 draw.
“It was fantastic,” Kane said of the team’s character, which was praised by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate.
“I think going 2-1 down in the manner that we did, a lot of heads could have dropped or people could have been sulking or so forth.
“But everyone stood up to it. They dug deep and found a goal out of nothing, really, so that’s what it’s about.
“It is about standing up and being counted and we did that today.
“Obviously I was wearing the armband today but I think we’ve got a lot of leaders in the team. It was great for me personally to lead the team out, a very, very proud moment and to get that goal at the end made it even more special.
“I think being part of a leader is standing up when it matters and to get that goal at the end was important.”
Kane’s strike saved England from their first qualifying defeat since October 2009.
Harry Kane
The draw means England’s cushion at the top of Group F has been narrowed to two points, but there remains confidence within the group that it is a matter of when rather than if they qualify for the World Cup.
“Scotland scoring two goals late on and you look at four minutes left, so to get anything from the game is always a point gained,” Kane added, before attention turns to Tuesday’s season-ending friendly in France.
“We come away fairly happy with it and in a good position to qualify for the World Cup. I don’t think it was tougher than what we expected because we always expect to have tough games, especially against your rivals.
“We knew it was going to be tough away from home, international qualifier, Scotland are doing everything to stay in the World Cup.
“We knew it was going to be tough and credit to them for standing there and getting the two goals, but it was nice to obviously not lose the game.”
Provided by Press Association
