Kane has always lived for these moments, the opportunities to right wrongs, set the record straight and make history.
He has inevitably taken some flak since the World Cup quarter-final defeat by France — Wolves fans taunted him with chants of ‘You missed when it mattered’ in Tottenham’s recent game at Molineux — but Kane now stands alone as England’s greatest-ever goalscorer, ahead of Wayne Rooney, Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker, Jimmy Greaves and Michael Owen.
There will always be quibbles. A third of Kane’s England goals, 18 of 54, have been penalties, reflecting something about the modern game.
Last night’s came after Giovanni Di Lorenzo handled the ball, taking it away from Kane just before half-time.
The Spurs forward has said the memory of his costly miss in Al Bayt Stadium, ballooned over the bar from 12 yards, will never leave him, and it must have flashed through his mind before he sent Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way with a typically composed finish. There is no reason penalties should not count the same but, for the pedants and purists, Kane and Rooney are now tied on 31 competitive, non-penalty goals for their country. Kane will probably be clear by Sunday, after England have faced Ukraine at Wembley, or by the start of the summer, when they travel to Malta and host North Macedonia at home in their next round of European Championship qualifiers.
Denne historien er fra March 24, 2023-utgaven av Evening Standard.
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Denne historien er fra March 24, 2023-utgaven av Evening Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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