Late goal lifts England to win
LATE HEADER FROM KANE GIVES ENGLAND 2-1 WIN OVER TUNISIA
Twice wrestled to the ground during the match, England captain Harry Kane finally evaded the Tunisian defence just as time was running out.
Kane found an open area of space at the far post and used his head to meet Harry Maguire’s flick-on, scoring the winning goal Monday in a 2-1 victory at the World Cup.
It was relief for Kane and Gareth Southgate, who leapt into the air in delight as his World Cup debut as a coach got off to a winning start.
“The best teams in the world keep that belief in what they’re doing,” Southgate said, “and in the end they break the opposition down.”
England shouldn’t have found it so tough in its Group G opener against such opposition. Not after Kane got England off to a perfect start with an 11th-minute tap in. But after Kyle Walker softly conceded a penalty that Ferjani Sassi converted in the 35th, many of the fouls went against England.
“Maybe there was a bit of justice at the end,” Kane said.
Finally, Kane showcased on the international stage the predatory instinct in front of goal that has served Tottenham so well. Only two years ago, the striker failed to find the net at the 2016 European Championship, which ended in humiliation with a loss to Iceland in the last 16.
The team has been transformed by Southgate since then. For all the placidness and togetherness within the group, Southgate has added persistence and doggedness.
“It shows the work we have put in these last few weeks,” Walker said. “Togetherness and believing in ourselves.”
At the last World Cup, England couldn’t even win a game. Low expectations for this year’s overhauled team were dispelled early in Russia when Kane reacted quickly to score after John Stones’ header was saved. But England struggled to finish it off.
When Walker’s flailing arm caught Fakhreddine Ben Youssef, a penalty was awarded and Sassi slotted it in to equalize.
England’s players later thought they deserved the same verdict when Kane was grappled to the ground twice by Tunisians on either side of the halftime break. Both times, the referee decided against punishing the culprits.
Belgium 3, Panama 0
Belgium broke lose in the second half to defeat newcomer Panama in its opening World Cup game in Sochi.
After struggling to find the net in the first half, the talented Belgian squad comfortably reached victory with a goal by Dries Mertens and two by Romelu Lukaku.
Mertens opened the scoring with a well-struck one-timer from just inside the area after the Panamanian defence failed to clear a ball two minutes after halftime. Lukaku doubled the lead with a header in the 69th after a great play by Kevin De Bruyne, and closed the scoring after a breakaway six minutes later following a through ball by Eden Hazard.
Sweden 1, South Korea 0
Sweden got the break it needed from the video review system, and team captain Andreas Granqvist didn't waste the chance.
Granqvist slid his penalty kick into the bottom right corner of the net in the 65th minute to give Sweden a victory over South Korea at the World Cup.
The Swedes, playing in their first World Cup since 2006, were awarded the penalty after Salvadoran referee Joel Aguilar consulted a video screen on the sideline. Aguilar had originally waved play on after South Korea substitute Kim Min-woo slid into a tackle and collided with Viktor Claesson. But he took another look and decided Kim had tripped Claesson as he tried to clear the ball.