Soccer
Where would England be without Harry Kane?
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It's hardly a surprising outcome, given the Three Lions captain is his country's all-time top goalscorer and came into Wednesday's 2-0 win against DR Congo among the top 10 scorers in World Cup history.
However, the way Kane's heroics were needed against the Congolese should give some reason for pause, as England should have been able to deal with their 46th-ranked opponents without the need for the 32-year-old to put his side on his back.
Kane delighted to deliver England 'hero' moment
Indeed, Kane was once again the star of the show with a pair of sensational goals, and that wouldn't be cause for concern had his pair of strikes come earlier in the match. Instead, the Three Lions looked to their captain to bail them out after giving up a seventh-minute goal, allowing Congo to turn up the pressure defensively and stifle their vaunted opposition to the point of frustration for 75 minutes.
It wasn't as if England weren't creating chances. Congo's goal aside, it was one-way traffic towards goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi from nearly the opening whistle, with the Congolese netminder doing yeoman's work in the face of an attacking onslaught.
Despite this, the goals did not come. As good as Mpasi was, there were gilt-edged chances not capitalized on by the likes of Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford, Noni Madueke and even Kane himself. With each passing minute, the Congolese players grew in confidence as their English counterparts continued to offer little in terms of finishing, eventually forcing Thomas Tuchel to shift tactics and change personnel as the clock ticked on.
To his credit, Tuchel's changes worked well. Declan Rice moved to right back and Bukayo Saka entered off the bench at the hour mark to take over the resopnsibilities on the right wing, eliminating the ineffective Madueke and Djed Spence from that flank. Anthony Gordon subbed on for Rashford at the same time to give a new attacking perspective on the left, and in the 70th minute Eberchi Eze was also introduced.
The changes sparked a new life into the England attack as desperation started to set in, with Congo falliing further back into a defensive shell to protect their narrow lead.
And yet, it was Kane, who had been there from the opening whistle, who truly changed the game with his generational nose for goal.
His first strike, scored in the 75th minute, was a classic Kane header in which he used his superior movement to find himself a pocket of space and attack a goalmouth lob from Gordon.
His second goal, the game-winner in the 86th minute, was an example of the otherworldly dribbling skill that some might forget Kane possesses, as he collected the ball at the top of the box and evaded three Congo defenders before smashing a shot past Mpasi — all without looking at the net.
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Two very different goals coming from the same exceptional talent. No one else on the England squad can do what Kane did against Congo, and that's the problem.
Five of the Three Lions' eight goals at this World Cup so far have come from Harry Kane, and if Tuchel cannot find someone else to finish chances then it might lead to yet another disappointing end to a major tournament for England.
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