Captain fantastic!
Kane’s late header wins it for England in nerve-jangling World Cup opener
THREE Lions fans went potty last night as Harry Kane found the net in the dying seconds to clinch a dramatic 2-1 win over Tunisia.
The skipper put England one up in the first half but Tunisia tried to close things down after equalising with a penalty.
Manager Gareth Southgate jumped out of the dug-out and punched the air as Spurs hitman Harry headed in his injury-time winner, seconds after the clock ticked past 90 minutes.
England had also beaten swarms of bugs, heat and humidity to complete the stunning start to their World Cup campaign in the 45,568-seater Volgograd
stadium. Harry, 24, clenched his fist with delight at the whistle as fans sang “Football’s coming home” in the stands.
Afterwards, Southgate, 47, said: “We’ve given ourselves a great platform to build from. There’s a lot of work to do still. We can enjoy tonight and we hope everyone at home does. Harry is a top, top striker. I’m delighted for him. He took his goals well. Good teams score late goals. We created so many chances.”
TV pundit Gary Lineker was shown leaping in the air as the goal went in and Rio Ferdinand said he was encouraged by the performance, adding: “How many times have we talked about how bereft of ideas England teams have been?”
With the players standing in line on
the final whistle to applaud the fans, it was the perfect start to Russia 2018.
Harry notched the opener after Man City star John Stones’ header from a corner 11 minutes into the clash. But defender Kyle Walker was ruled to have fouled forward Ben Youssef and Tunisia equalised with a soft 33rd-minute penalty from Ferjani Sassi.
An estimated TV audience of 15 million and millions in pubs, bars and clubs across the UK were on the edge of their seats in an action-packed first half.
But as the game wore on, Southgate’s inexperienced team looked to have lost out on glory after missing a series of chances in the opening stages. Tunisia
keeper Mouez Hassen – later replaced by Ben Mustapha – saved from Jesse Lingard after just three minutes. The Man Utd star then hit the post just before half-time.
But the Three Lions ended up swarming over Tunisia like the bugs that had plagued them in the warm-up, sparking wild celebrations.
Marcus Kelvin, 42, from Leeds said: “What a fantastic result. It was typical of England but we got there in the end.
“It was hard work but I think we deserved the win in the end. The people of Volgograd have been amazing.”
Samuel Joynson, 26, a lawyer from Bournemouth based in Moscow, said: “I
saw one of their fans at breakfast who said every man in Tunisia is here! It has been a great atmosphere and I am so glad we made the effort to get here.” His pal George Avery, 25, of Birmingham, was on the 1am train back to Moscow but said: “It was worth it.”
Paul Taylor, 46, from Reading, Berks, said the performance will fill every England fan with hope. He said: “Pundits have been writing us off for months but this is a solid and skilful young team which can beat anyone.”
Tottenham fan Richard Wilson, 57, of Teddington, West London, said: “We’re virtually assured of qualifying for the knockout stage. Other teams will have watched us and will not want to play us.
We can go a long way.” Paul Fisher, 54, a salesman from Isleworth, West London, admitted the first match was a real test.
But he added: “They’ve shown what they made of. It’s brilliant there seem to be no big egos in this team and we’re not having to rely on the Beckhams and Rooneys of old.”
The only fly in the ointment was the bug issue. Nottingham Forest fan Paul Hickinbottom, 40, said: “It’s unpleasant. The bugs are everywhere and have been getting in my beer. Some locals walk around in bee-keeping headgear.”
The Football Supporters Federation estimated 2,000 Three Lions fans were in the Volgograd stadium – the lowest attendance of any World Cup game of
modern times. There were around 4,000 Tunisian supporters.
There was a carnival atmosphere in the city as the fans mixed in and around the Fan Fest overlooking the Volga River before kick-off. Tunisian fans lit red flares and danced to the beat of a big drum. Russian authorities also laid on traditional music outside the stadium.
Hundreds of Tunisian fans poured off an overnight train from Moscow, which arrived early yesterday. Only 20 England fans were on board, though many arrived from further afield.
And Garford Beck is set to go down as the Three Lions fan who found the cheapest way to get to Russia. The 56-year-old, from Hammersmith, West
London, managed to book a £70 flight from Stansted to Istanbul, then flew from Turkey to Krasnodar for just £56 before boarding an overnight train for £12 - making the journey for £138.
“I spent thousands going to Brazil and we went out after two games,” said civil servant Garford. “The overnight train was £12 and got me here for the game.”
In contrast, garment manufacturer Frank Attwood, 61, and wife Marlene, 57, spent £10,000 on tickets and hotels to fly from Cambodia.
National Grid bosses said demand for electricity jumped by 500MW across the UK at half-time, equivalent to 23 million fridge doors opening at once.