England had to wait a while, but the opportunity for fans to fling beer in the air with wild abandon finally arrived on Wednesday.
Thomas Tuchel’s men got their World Cup campaign off to a winning start with a 4-2 victory over Croatia in Dallas, where Harry Kane bagged a brace. That took him level in the England record books, and in today’s SVQ, we’ll tell you which record that is.
It wasn’t as productive a start for Cristiano Ronaldo, whose Portugal side could only draw 1-1 with DR Congo. Ronaldo is a phenom, but his lack of influence on Wednesday was telling, and we’ll show you a viz that outlines his team’s struggles to get him involved.
Our Ask Opta question is about all the goals we’ve seen so far, and today’s Missing Players takes us back to the 1982 World Cup final.
⚽️ STAT - Kane Continues to Rack Them Up
He may turn 33 next month, but Harry Kane is showing no signs of slowing down. If anything, every time it feels as though he’s hit the peak of his powers, he somehow finds another level.
In what was a shaky first half for England against Croatia, Thomas Tuchel’s talisman stepped up when it mattered most, scoring two huge goals to help secure an important 4-2 victory.
A re-taken penalty and a header from a corner won’t make many highlight reels, but neither Kane nor England will care. They put on a superb display and once again, the captain was at the heart of it.
Those two goals saw Kane equal Gary Lineker's record for the most goals scored by an England player at the men’s World Cup (10).
