Harry Kane said he might well score three like Cristiano Ronaldo. People tittered. Instead, it was just the two for the England captain as he struck the goals to gain England a precious victory in their opening Group G fixture against an organised and occasionally cynical Tunisia.[spacer height=”30px”]
They laughed when he suggested he wanted to challenge Cristiano Ronaldo for the Golden Boot. But Kane has always seen himself up alongside the best strikers in the world. Now he is doing it on the world stage. Captaincy from the front. @MirrorFootball https://t.co/eG6p656ykt
— Darren Lewis (@MirrorDarren) June 18, 2018
[spacer height=”30px”]England’s competitors for the top spot, Belgium themselves had a night to remember with a brilliant 3-0 win over Panama in the other match of Group G and served well to keep the pressure on England securing the much needed three points against Tunisia.[spacer height=”30px”]
Jesse Lingard would have opened the scoring in the third minute had Mouez Hassen not pulled off a fine save with his legs after the Manchester United forward was found by a cutback from Dele Alli.[spacer height=”30px”]
Hassen appeared to suffer an injury when he collided with Lingard as he raced clear down the left and squared for Raheem Sterling, who will have taken comfort from an offside flag after a glaring miss.[spacer height=”30px”]
England’s talisman and the captain put them ahead in the 11th minute of Monday’s clash in Volgograd, He finished a rebound off a headed attempt from John Stones that appeared to cross the line, and Kane was there to clean up the mess with ease.[spacer height=”30px”]
England survives the “big teams” poor start by Captain Harry Kane heading in the winner goal in 91st min! Tunisia was largely defensive &lacked confidence. England deserved the win! Waiting for Senegal Vs Poland tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/S34QJMezmx
— Kifefe Kizza-Besigye (@kizzabesigye1) June 18, 2018
[spacer height=”30px”]Hassen had been excellent in the early moments and had already had treatment for an injury before making that save. He aggravated it again and was forced off in tears after just 14 minutes, Farouk Ben Mustapha coming on in his place.[spacer height=”30px”]
But Tunisia levelled in contentious fashion. Referee Wilmar Roldan pointed to the spot when Kyle Walker caught Fakhreddine Ben Youssef with his arm with Ferjani Sassi converting despite Jordan Pickford getting fingertips.[spacer height=”30px”]
Southgate’s men will have been frustrated by their profligacy, Lingard latching on to a ball over the top and knocking it past Ben Mustapha, only to see it trickle onto the post and wide.[spacer height=”30px”]
Gareth Southgate’s side missed a host of gilt-edged chances in the first half. [spacer height=”30px”]
Kane had another appeal for a penalty waved away within five minutes of the restart as he was impeded by a pair of Tunisia players at a corner, but the rate at which England appeared to run out of gas was alarming.[spacer height=”30px”]
https://twitter.com/Kzllen/status/1008785659811811328
[spacer height=”30px”]But in the first minute of injury time, they made the mistake of leaving Kane unmarked in the box for the second time and he took advantage by heading home at the far post to ensure England start the tournament with a deserved, if unconvincing, win.[spacer height=”30px”]
That’s quite the win for England. Though it was a narrow result, the team looked good in the final third when it came to passing and creating chances. This will give Kane even more confidence, but it’s tough to swallow for Tunisia, who felt like they had a point in the bag. Next up for Tunisia is Belgium on Saturday, while England takes on Panama on Sunday.[spacer height=”30px”]
