Euro 2020: Harry Kane’s timely return to form strengthens England’s bid for European glory
The way Harry Kane has steadily upped his game at Euro 2020 perfectly epitomises England’s journey in the tournament. Just like the Three Lions, the Tottenham forward made a slow start to the tournament but his form has sharply picked up in the knockout stages.
Kane failed to find the back of the net in all of England’s three group matches, with his barren run drawing criticisms from some quarters. However, form is temporary and class is permanent. The 27-year-old has risen to the occasion at the right time and his goals have been crucial in England’s journey to the semi-final.
Harry Kane is firing again
Kane has taken time to get into his stride but once he broke his duck against Germany, it was only a matter of time before he was back firing again. For a player who came into the tournament as the top scorer in the Premier League, he was inevitably going to have his moment. That moment came against Ukraine in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020.
The Three Lions skipper opened the scoring with a brute finish after beating the offside trap before scoring his second of the night with a cool header.
As it stands, only three players – Cristiano Ronaldo, Patrik Schick and Romelu Lukaku – have more goals than Kane. With all the aforementioned players already out of the tournament, Kane could end up winning the Golden Boot at Euro 2020.
Kane’s return to form strengthens England’s bid for glory
Despite failing to score more than a single goal throughout the group stage, England were still impressive due to their defensive solidity. Now that Kane is firing, though, the Three Lions have become great both at the back and in attack, having scored eight goals and conceded none.
The 27-year-old is England’s main man and as long as he continues finding the back of the net, the Three Lions will be unstoppable.
“It's always nice to score early in the game, it's a great feeling helping the team,” Kane said after the win over Ukraine, as quoted by the Daily Mail. “There was a lot of talk about me and my performances but I'm just ready for the next game, to help this team and lead this team, hopefully, to a European final.”