The goal Harry Kane scored for Tottenham Hotspur in the game at Brentford FC on Monday looked far more difficult than any penalty. Striker Kane had to use all his skills to convert his teammate Clément Lenglet’s cross into the penalty area without much speed or precision. Pressed by two opponents, he jumped off at the right moment and headed the ball precisely and powerfully from a distance of around eight meters into the corner of the goal. The power Kane put behind the ball almost overhead illustrated the attacker’s special skills. However, even the goal to make it 1:2 (65th) seemed to inspire him more than his team, who ultimately did not get beyond a meager 2:2 (0:1) in Brentford. Pierre Emile Höjbjerg only secured a draw for the fourth-placed Premier League team six minutes later – far too little to put the competition at the top under pressure.
With his tenth goal in seven games on Boxing Day, Kane is the all-time leading goalscorer of England’s traditional football holiday. And because that goal came against Brentford, who were only promoted in 2021, Kane has now also scored against all 32 clubs he has ever faced in the Premier League. But he’s still waiting – with Tottenham and with the national team – for his first title. When England lost the World Cup two weeks ago in the quarter-finals against France, Kane missed a decisive penalty in the closing stages. Missed chances are just as much part of the everyday life of every goal scorer as are chances taken. But why, not only Kane should ask himself, does the ball usually not go in with him, despite his excellent finishing qualities, when it really matters?
Kane can be happy that league operations are ending the daily debates about his mishap in Qatar
He is probably very happy himself that this rather interesting question will no longer be pursued intensively once play in the Premier League has resumed. Because recently the debates on the island revolved around him non-stop. Almost every day, one of the numerous football critics in the country gave his view on the matter. Even colleagues at Tottenham willingly provided information about Kane when asked, as did Tottenham’s coach Antonio Conte. Although the Italian felt he “didn’t need to worry” about Kane and said it would be better not to comment further, he went on to elaborate on the subject at some length.
Conte repeated the now common joke that he had never missed a penalty in his career – because he never competed for a single one. And he emphasized that as a player he himself lost the 1994 World Cup final against Brazil in a shootout with Italy. The point of this comparison was obvious: Roberto Baggio chased the last penalty for Italy in almost the same way as Kane did for England.
More difficult than every penalty: England’s unlucky World Cup player Harry Kane hits the goal for Tottenham with his head.
(Photo: Matthew Childs/Reuters)
The fact that Conte surprisingly spread this anecdote before the league duel with Brentford illustrated once again how long such mishaps are associated with a player. In this specific case, Harry Kane is not only after that one England penalty in Qatar, but also a monumental double chance in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. At the time, Kane missed the crucial second goal against the Croatians, who instead won the game in extra time and into Endgame entered. This is another reason why England has been waiting in vain for a tournament trophy since their only home World Cup title in 1966.
Despite all the disappointments, Kane, who is rightly considered a model professional because of his flawless demeanor, never gives up. Once again, after the trip to Qatar, he started work on time. He surprised his teammates when, after only ten days off, he suddenly appeared in the team dressing room during the half-time break last Wednesday – signaling that he was ready to get back to work at the club.
With the away game in Brentford, hard work awaited Kane and his colleagues. The top clubs in particular are afraid of the unconventional football style of the London suburban club, whose players hit almost every ball directly forward, because this can cause them to lose control of the game at any time. However, there was no question of the Spurs slipping away – because they didn’t radiate any dominance at all.
A victory for Brentford was almost certain after 54 minutes: after a corner kick caused by Tottenham’s Eric Dier with a hair-raising ricochet, Brentford’s goalscorer Ivan Toney pushed the ball over the line to make it 2-0. The Spurs had started the first half in a similarly poor manner. The German Vitaly Janelt, who had his breakthrough at VfL Bochum, made it 1-0 early (15th). Brentford’s banal move: liberation, head duel, cross, volley, sweep, goal.
The most promising action of the guests remained a free kick, also kicked by Kane, which significantly got stuck in the wall. In addition to the lack of offensive support from his teammates for a long time, Kane was particularly annoyed by the low winter sun in London. She blinded him several times in the face.