For Harry Kane, this was one of the weaker tournaments of his career. Nevertheless, English experts are defending him – if only in comparison to Robert Lewandowski.
From Qatar’s Mateusz Skwierawski
In the match against France (1:2), Kane wasted a penalty kick that could have led to overtime. Earlier in the second half, he beat Hugo Lloris from eleven meters. On his second attempt, however, he missed the goal.
In the interview area after the World Cup quarterfinal meeting in Qatar, the soccer player stopped only in one place to talk to a large group of journalists. The interest was so great that a spokesman for the local team had to calm down the media representatives. – Gentlemen, please, one at a time. Because we are about to bump into each other,” he said.
He spoke for a minute and a half
Kane was clearly nailed down. He spoke for exactly one and a half minutes. Then, in a short conversation, he took the fall out of the tournament. – It hurts, and it will hurt,” he said. – We had a great championship, but it all comes down to one detail that I take responsibility for, he commented.
– I was well prepared to take penalties. The first shot went perfectly for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t hit the second penalty shot the way I wanted,” he recounted.
The striker got a lot of support from the team. – Let’s remember how many penalties he used before. His goals made us get here at all,” said Jordan Henderson. – He was amazing in many other matches. Of course, at the end of the day, it’s the goals that count, but I told the players in the locker room that I didn’t think they could have given more. We showed a very good side,” added coach Gareth Southgate.
Kane finished the World Cup in Qatar with two goals and three assists. However, experts there noted that the striker was not himself at this championship.
He felt tired
– He looked tired,” Thomas Jenkins of the Guardian tells us. – He appeared in many matches before the World Cup, and it was noticeable that the intensity of playing in the Premier League had taken its toll on his form, the journalist believes. – It certainly wasn’t the best tournament of his career, he claims.
Kane played with the national team for the fourth time at a major event. At Euro 2020, he reached the final with England, but Southgate’s team lost in penalties to Italy. In the entire championship, Kane then scored four goals.
At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Islanders lost in the third-place game to Belgium, and the striker finished the tournament with six hits. Kane’s worst performance was at Euro 2016 – England dropped out in the 1/8, and the player didn’t score once.
– It’s always more difficult to take a penalty kick for the second time, Jenkins continues. – Especially when a clubmate is facing you. There was a lot of psychological game there, whether Harry would hit the same corner of the goal again or whether Hugo Lloris would outwit him. That could have made a difference,” comments our interviewee.
– The defeat against France is not a surprise for us,” he assesses. – Maybe the surprise is that we played quite well and didn’t deserve to lose,” he claims. – Many people thought France had a much better team than England. But, in my opinion, we played much better than them,” comments the Guardian journalist.
“There is no better.”
Jenkins compared Kane to Robert Lewandowski. In Britain, it has been emphasized many times that it is the Tottenham striker who is the best “9” in the world.
– They are very similar players,” Jenkins said. – Two great finishers, two leaders of their national teams. In this duel, there is no better. I put them on the same shelf. They are the same type of striker: greedy for goals, hungry for goals, and effective to the point of pain. They both present the highest level,” the Guardian expert concludes.
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