Didi Hamann has dramatically reversed his controversial criticism of Harry Kane after the Bayern Munich striker scored a late brace to rescue England from a World Cup shock against DR Congo. The Three Lions trailed to Brian Cipenga's seventh-minute strike before Kane struck twice in the closing stages to secure a 2-1 victory and a last-16 clash with Mexico in Mexico City.
Hamann's Initial Criticism
Speaking on Irish broadcaster RTE during the group stage, the former Liverpool and Manchester City midfielder had questioned Kane's ability to deliver in knockout matches. "I think he's scored eight goals in the group stages – two against Tunisia, three against Panama and a penalty against Colombia," Hamann said. "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 ridicule, but after Kane's match-winning performance, Hamann offered fulsome praise. "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," Hamann said on RTE. "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 World Cup Record
The double took Kane's overall World Cup tally to 13 goals, with five in this tournament alone. He had already surpassed Gary Lineker to become England's all-time leading scorer at the tournament. Kane is now competing with Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe for the Golden Boot.
After the match, Kane modestly credited his teammates. "I'm proud of the group, proud of the boys. We spoke before the game about how difficult this game would be," he said. "You're coming up against a good team who defend and watch really well. They were dangerous on 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."
England's World Cup Journey
England's unconvincing display against DR Congo drew criticism from international media, but the team's resilience secured progression. The Three Lions will now face Mexico in Mexico City in the round of 16, a match that will test Kane's ability to deliver on the biggest stage once again.
