Hero Harry doesn’t do anything by half
Kane’s long-range goal in last seconds stuns Juve
NOT many strikers upstage Cristiano Ronaldo when he is on the scoresheet – but Harry Kane put the Juventus star in the shade yesterday.
The Tottenham and England forward scored an amazing 95th-minute winner from the halfway line to earn Mauricio Pochettino’s side a last-gasp 3-2 win over the Italian giants, who could only watch in astonishment.
Spurs’ first game of their pre-season tour of Asia looked to be heading for a draw. But with seconds to go Kane seized on a defensive mistake to unleash an instinctive snapshot that sailed over former Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and into the net.
The strike was reminiscent of Real Zaragoza midfielder Nayim’s goal against Arsenal’s David Seaman in 1995.
It also saw Kane join an elite club of England players who have scored from halfway – with David Beckham and Wayne Rooney also members.
Kane said: “It was nice to see that one go in because I have had a few in my career where I’ve tried it and it’s gone over the bar or wide.
“Thankfully today it’s one of those where I’ve hit it and as soon as I looked up it was heading on target – it was nice to see it go in.
“I’ve not seen any texts from Wayne or David yet but Wayne has done it a few times so I’ve got some way to go to catch him.
“You don’t practise that, no. It’s just one of those things that is instinctive on the pitch. There was a chance in the first half when Gianluigi Buffon was off his line and half the bench told Sonny [Son HeungMin] to shoot from inside his own half.
“So it was in my mind from then on and it was just one of them – it’s the last minute of the game and you have loads of defenders around you. Lucas Moura did well to win it back and it just fell nicely, so I thought, ‘Why not have a try?’
“And I knew as soon as I hit it I had a chance.You try it as a kid, of course – when you watch Beckham and Rooney do it you try it yourself. Hopefully it will be the start of me getting a few more.”
Pochettino said it was Spurs’ performance that mattered, not the victory. But the way his young side took the game to Maurizio Sarri’s experienced team – playing with pace, energy and confidence – was impressive.
Striker Troy Parrott, centreback Japhet Tanganga and midfielder Oliver Skipp all looked comfortable against the Italians.
Ronaldo had let Spurs off the hook by fluffing first-half chances before Erik Lamela netted from close range. But Ronaldo made amends to equalise with a deflected shot to the delight of his fans in Asia.
Gonzalo Higuain fired Juve in front but Tottenham record signing Tanguy Ndombele came off the bench for his debut and made an immediate impact.
The Frenchman’s first touch was a cool pass to Moura who made it 2-2 with a low strike. Then Kane stole the show with his long-range stunner.