Composure isn’t something that everyone can master. Some people just simply buckle under the pressure. Psychologists are prominent in many sports as sportsmen look to improve their chances of delivering exactly when they need to. For others, that ability is innate and instinctive.
Up until now, Harry Kane hadn’t scored in a major tournament for England. Considering though, that was just one competition, Euro 2016, it is not something we should have given much notice to anyway. He wasn’t the freshest during that tournament in France and was bizarrely used by Roy Hodgson as a corner kick taker.
Last night, we saw what he can do when he is on the other end of them. That second goal, in particular, was harder than it looked for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the situation itself. It’s the weight of expectancy as the captain gets a golden chance to score a winning goal to open the World Cup with a win. 60m people watching on hoping for the net to bulge.
Secondly, he had to generate the power on the header and direct it accurately. A lot of players would have tried to just get it on target, but not Harry. He twisted his head and got pace on the ball to beat the Tunisian goalkeeper Farouk Ben Mustapha on his right-hand side. You can imagine if that was either Jesse Lingard or Raheem Sterling in a similar situation last night, it wouldn’t have been converted.
That composure combined with the ability to make the difference in the crucial moments is what makes our no.10 so special. It’s what makes him a world-class player. We shouldn’t get too carried away after the opening game, but his confidence will now be sky high heading into the next two group games.
As fans who see him play every week for his club, we know he has it in him to be relentless and clinical. His calmness in front of goal and his ability to lead by example are a perfect combination for this young England side. Hopefully, he can go on to have a really special tournament.