Kane misses golden chance as England held by resilient Ghana
England captain Harry Kane was left ruing a rare miss as the Three Lions were frustrated by Ghana in a goalless World Cup Group L draw on Tuesday, missing the opportunity to secure their place in the Round of 32.
After scoring twice in England’s thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening match, Kane came agonisingly close to being the hero once again. With time running out and England pushing for a winner, Nico O’Reilly climbed highest to meet a cross and powered a header against the crossbar.
The rebound fell perfectly to Kane just six yards from goal, but in an uncharacteristic moment for one of football’s most clinical finishers, the Bayern Munich striker fired his effort over the bar, leaving England supporters stunned behind the goal.
Kane immediately reacted with his hands on his head, fully aware of the magnitude of the opportunity. The miss allowed Ghana to hold on for a valuable point, while England must now wait until their final group match to officially confirm qualification for the knockout stages.
“You go through games like that,” Kane said after the match.
“I was just waiting for an opportunity like that to fall my way. It was the type of game where, as a striker, you’re waiting for the ball to bounce in your direction. It did, but I just couldn’t quite get over the ball.
“I’m backing myself to score that more often than not. I’ve been a striker long enough to know that sometimes they don’t go in, and you have to accept it.”
The miss also denied Kane the chance to move past England legend Gary Lineker’s World Cup scoring record of 10 goals. Despite the disappointment, Kane remains one of the tournament’s leading attacking threats after arriving in North America following another prolific season with Bayern Munich.
The England skipper now has 81 goals in 116 international appearances and remains firmly in contention for the Golden Boot alongside fellow stars such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo, all of whom have made strong starts to the tournament.
England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted his side should have taken all three points.
“Normally, that’s a clear goal for us,” Tuchel said. “It was a big chance, followed by another chance shortly after. Overall, it would have been a deserved victory.”
England will now turn their attention to their final group-stage match against Panama in East Rutherford, New Jersey, knowing a positive result will secure their place in the knockout rounds.
