For Harry Kane, the wait for a first goal at this World Cup goes on. (More Football News)
Substituted after 58 minutes of England'💖s 3-0 win against Wales on Tuesday, he embraced his🔴 replacement Callum Wilson and made his way to the bench to watch the remainder of the game.
Gareth Southga🧸te clearly thought the job was done and qualification to the knockout stage secured.
Kane, despite shaking hands with hi𝔉s coach, might not have shared that view.
For a man who is famously reluctant to sit out any opportunity to add to his goals record, ꧒it was likely a frustrating watch from the sideline at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
Against a Wales team broken by goals from Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden, Kane was looking to finally get off the mark in Qatar. Instead, Rashford added a 🉐third of the match and his third of the tournament.
“He's enjoying his football, but for any forward, yoꦗu🍸 want to be scoring goals,” Rashford said.
England scored n꧂ine goals as it topped Group B, but none came from its most prolific forward.
Yet Kane, who ༺was the Golden Boot winner at the World Cup in Russia four years ago and is two short of Wayne Rooney's all-time England record of 53 goals, has still made a notable contribution.
Providing the cross for Foden's second half strike, he became England's first player to register three assists at a World Cup since David Beckham in 2002. He can add to that total when England play Senegal in th🅰e round of 16꧅ on Sunday.
“You need goals from all areas, and it is a problem for oppositioꦍn teams if the threat is coming from other areas of the pitch,” Southgate said. “Across the three games pretty much all of our forward line has got off the mark, if not with goals then with important, quality assists and that's a good place for the forwards to be. They want 🍒to have that confidence."
England's captain has always been a creator as well as a finisher and his assistꦕ statistics in his opening three games – also setting up goals for Raheem Stꩵerling and Rashford against Iran – is evidence of just how complete a forward he is.
It also underlines his enduring impo🔥rtance to England.
Kane hurt his aꦦnkle and foot in the opening match against Iran, but Southgate has started the 29-year-old striker in all three matches.
“It is competition foܫr places, which is what we need and people have to deliver,” Southgate said.
Goals are not a particular concern for England, with Rashford, Bukayo Sak♏a (two), St🍌erling, Jack Grealish and Jude Bellingham all scoring so far.
Rashford is the tournament's co-leading scorer alongside Kylian Mbappé, Cody Gakpo and Enner Valencia - and Southgat🉐e has morꦚe forward options now than in previous years.
