England fans have called for Harry Kane to be knighted after his heroics for the Three Lions in the first round of the World Cup finals against the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the second half, when England were leading 1-0, Kane scored two goals to turn the game around.
The team was staring at the possibility of a shocking loss on Wednesday night. DR Congo took the lead in just the seventh minute with a goal from Brian Shipenga.
England were frustrated as they searched for a way back into the game. Harry Kane equalized in the 75th minute with a header past Lionel Mperse’s inspired goalkeeper.
With four minutes left in regular time, Kane was the hero again. His wonderful goal turned England around and they were 2-1 winners.
The captain’s goals led fans to demand that he be knighted at the end of the tournament.
One person posted on social media: “We will win this World Cup. Let’s knight Harry Kane immediately.” A second added: “If you take into account all the players who have been knighted in the past, it would have been Sir Harry Kane even before this tournament started.”
“@RoyalFamily just revealing it, Knight Harry Kane! #England,” said a third. Another fan added: “They should knight Harry Kane. There’s no such thing as an MBE, just go straight to knighthood.”
Speaking to the BBC after full-time, Kane shared his immediate reaction to the win. “To be honest, it feels great. What a crazy game against a tough team, an organized team,” he said.
“After the first water break I thought the level increased and their keeper made some great saves.
“It was… just keep hitting the rock. Just keep hitting the rock.
“We talked about how you can have a hero moment. It can happen to any of us. It could be a picker’s (Pickford) save. For me, that was today.”
“When it comes to knockout football, there’s a lot of pressure and a lot of risk. From an offensive standpoint, this was probably the best game of the tournament so far.”
“We just have to get through it. This time and the next one will be difficult for different reasons.”
For England, attention will now turn to their match against co-hosts Mexico in the last 16. The match will take place early on Monday morning (1am kick-off) and will be played at the iconic Azteca Stadium.
