A golden milestone for an ever-reliable Harry Kane was overshadowed by a controversial penalty decision as the Three Lions averted two defeats in a row after the England captain's last-gasp goal earned his disjointed team a 1-1 draw in Germany in their Nations League showdown.

With Jonas Hofmann's 50th-minute shot making a huge difference, Kane responded with equanimity and sent veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer the wrong way from the spot with only two minutes left after a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) review ruled that he had been clipped by German defender Nico Schlotterbeck.

It was his 50th international goal and moved the 28-year-old striker ahead of Sir Bobby Charlton and only three behind Wayne Rooney's all-time record of 53. With four more games still to go before the Qatar World Cup kicks off in November, Kane will surely have the chance to smash Rooney's record to become England's greatest goal-scorers. 

"I love scoring goals, I have always loved it especially for my country. Whenever I can help the team I am glad to do that," beamed the Spurs talisman. "It was important to show the mentality, going behind we showed good character to then get back into the game and get a result. We were playing against a very good Germany side. It shows where we are."

However, while Kane deserved praise for his resilience and composure, it was the VAR that stole the show. The England skipper was clearly in an offside position when the final ball was played. On the surface, the penalty should not have been awarded even if Schlotterbeck did kick Kane from behind in the box.

But VAR reviewed the incident with a long delay and revealed that the final ball was actually deliberately played by a Germany player. In such circumstance, Kane should not be adjudged to be offside, according to the latest version of the rule.

The decision echoed a similar scenario in last month's Champions League final when Real Madrid star Karim Benzema's goal was ruled out for offside. In that case, the final ball bounced off Liverpool midfielder Fabinho and diverted it into the path of Benzema, who was then standing in an offside position.

The difference was that Fabinho had no time to react when the ball hit him at top speed. Therefore, while the last touch was indeed made by a Liverpool player, it was not deliberate, so Benzema was not deemed to be onside.

Though Lady luck smiled on England this time, Gareth Southgate knew only too well that his players were stifled by the German's attacking prowess and struggled to make any clear-cut chances. Though Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealis impressed after coming off the bench, the whole team failed to bounce back from their shock defeat against Hungary last week.

The result means England are now at the bottom of Group A3 and face enormous pressure when they host Italy, who beat Hungary 2-1 at home, on Saturday. Yet Southgate insisted he was pleased with his team's performance.

"We've had some good results at Wembley and wanted to come away from home and get a good result," he told a press conference. "We challenged the players that a top team doesn't lose two on the bounce and they've responded to that in the right way."

"We have seven or eight who got us to a World Cup semifinal, that's why those players are so important to us because that core of the team put their bodies on the line for each other. On nights like this you have to do that to get a result."

When asked about Kane's penalty, Southgate said, "The finish is exceptional, isn't it? The pressure at that moment, he trusts his technique, we have huge faith in him. Rightly the fact he's got 50 goals will be the center part of the story."

The sentiment was echoed by Kieran Trippier. "Harry stepped up as always. He is special," observed the England full-back. "Fifty goals is incredible. He's a top pro, and great leader. Tonight is a positive result. We'll review the game and look forward to the next one."