Thierry Henry was left in awe of Harry Kane's second goal for England against DR Congo, admitting he would risk injury attempting such a strike. The Bayern Munich forward scored twice to secure a 2-1 comeback victory for the Three Lions in Atlanta.
Kane's heroics seal late win
DR Congo took a surprise lead in the seventh minute through Brian Cipenga, and England struggled to break down their opponents for much of the match. Kane equalised with a header in the 75th minute before producing a stunning winner deep into stoppage time.
Receiving the ball from Anthony Gordon on the edge of the box, Kane spun past two defenders and fired a powerful shot into the roof of the net on the turn. The goal drew high praise from Arsenal legend Henry, who was working as a pundit for Fox Sports.
Henry's technical analysis
Henry highlighted the difficulty of generating such power while off-balance, especially late in a demanding match. 'He's almost in the air, kind of in a weird shape when he hits it. Do you know how hard that is?' Henry said. 'At the end of the game, to generate that amount of power. At the end of the game!'
Henry also noted the physical toll on England's players, pointing to Declan Rice's exhaustion as evidence of the game's intensity. 'Declan Rice was dead! If Declan Rice is dead at the end of the game we already know the level of the game in terms of physicality is difficult,' he said.
'To have that amount of power. I think the whole country was with him when he hit that. He's falling! Do you know how hard it is to generate power then? If I'd do that now, I'd break my back! That's tough. That's a tough skill. Wow! Sir Harry!'
Ibrahimovic's perspective
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, also on punditry duty, placed Kane among football's elite. 'Harry Kane, he did three things. Two goals and one run he did. That says everything, how much he means to this team,' said the Swede. 'We talk about [Lionel] Messi for Argentina, France with [Kylian] Mbappe, but they have other superstars also. We talk [Erling] Haaland for Norway. When it comes to England it's all about Harry Kane.'
Ibrahimovic added: 'Sir Harry Kane is England and the way he performed today, he needs to continue like that if this England is going to have a chance.'
England's physical struggles
Ibrahimovic observed that England appeared to be struggling physically, with Rice notably off his usual pace. 'Today I saw England suffering physically,' he said. 'I didn't see them run like before. Especially Declan Rice, his quality is to run but it was like he was struggling. But not only him, also the other ones.'
He also took a subtle dig at the high expectations surrounding Thomas Tuchel's side. 'It's not how you win, it's important to win. Especially this England. They have a lot of pressure to win. Why? We don't know, but ok. They won.'
