Didi Hamann has performed a dramatic U-turn on Harry Kane after the Bayern Munich striker rescued England at the World Cup with a late double against DR Congo. The former Liverpool and Newcastle midfielder had previously suggested Kane was over-rated, but now hails him as 'phenomenal'.
Kane's Heroics Rescue England
England were staring down the barrel when they fell behind to Brian Cipenga's seventh-minute opener in the round-of-16 clash. Kane's brace turned the game around, setting up a last-16 meeting with Mexico in Mexico City. The goals lifted his overall World Cup tally to 13, with five netted in this tournament alone. He had already surpassed Gary Lineker to become England's all-time top scorer at the tournament.
Hamann's Controversial Remarks
One of the few voices unconvinced by the former Tottenham frontman on the grandest stage has been Hamann. Speaking on Irish broadcaster RTE during the group stage, the former Liverpool and Manchester City midfielder said: 'I think he's scored eight goals in the group stages – two against Tunisia, three against Panama and a penalty against Colombia. He's the captain and he's there to score goals in the knockout games. The jury's out. I want to see him do it against France and Brazil. Whether he's capable of doing it, we don't know yet.' Those remarks drew widespread criticism and mockery.
Hamann's Praise After Match-Winning Display
Following his match-winning display against Congo, Hamann heaped praise on Kane, who is now locked in battle with Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe for the World Cup's Golden Boot. Speaking on RTE, Hamann said: 'I think we played with some of the best strikers in the world. I'm not sure whether there has ever been a striker like him, who finishes like he does. His shooting technique, both feet, not only the right foot, he does it with the left as well. It's simply outstanding, and if you give him half a yard in the box, even with five minutes to go, when he's a bit tired, when he has got 85 minutes in his legs, he still picks his spot, and he puts it exactly where he wants. Outstanding.'
Kane's Modest Reaction
Kane remained modest while praising his team-mates after England's comeback triumph, saying: 'I'm proud of the group, proud of the boys. We spoke before the game about how difficult this game would be. You're coming up against a good team who defend and watch really well. They were dangerous in the counter-attack, as we saw in that first 20 minutes of the game. So we had to just grind a win out, and I thought we played some really good stuff after 25 minutes of the game. Their keeper made some incredible saves, to be fair to him, and you start to think maybe it's just one of those days. But that's where I'm most proud of the boys and myself as well, just to keep the belief, keep getting the ball into the right areas. You know one of us will have our hero moment, and thankfully for me it was today.'
