Harry Kane's Stoppage-Time Goal Sends England To The World Cup

Of course it had to be Harry Kane, England’s captain on the night, the so-called “one-year wonder” who has been defying skeptics with an unending deluge of goals for about three years now, his home nation’s one true world-class player, who came to England’s rescue tonight. After a fairly drab display for most of the Three Lions’ home match against Slovenia, it was King Kane who scored the late winner and, by doing so, sealed England’s place in next summer’s World Cup:

It was about as textbook of a Kane goal as you could imagine. Nothing flashy, no feat of superhuman skill or athleticism, just supreme intelligence and impressive quickness to get exactly where he needed to be at exactly the right moment.

Kane has already scored 11 goals in nine Premier League and Champions League matches for Tottenham this season, and has knocked in another six goals in seven appearances for England. While his particular brand of excellence isn’t always as viscerally thrilling as some of the world’s other superstar attackers, there can be no denying anymore that Kane is one of the very few players who can be described as the very best at his position.