Kansas City (AFP) – Harry Kane says England’s emotional “Wonderwall” singalong with fans after their opening World Cup win against Croatia was one of his top moments in the national shirt. Thomas Tuchel’s side got off to a flying start in their first Group L game in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday, with captain Kane scoring twice in an entertaining 4-2 win. England’s victorious players celebrated in front of their supporters while 1995 Oasis hit “Wonderwall” blared out around the AT&T Stadium.
“That was one of my favourite-ever moments in an England shirt and especially at a major tournament,” Kane said on England’s Lions Den show. “I know it’s just the first game, and we’re not getting carried away, but just that emotional connection with the fans, we know how much it means to them. I think they see how much it means to us. We have that connection right now, but just that moment, singing ‘Wonderwall’ in the stadium, everyone knew the words, and that was a really special moment, I thought.”
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Tuchel has spoken about building on the work of former boss Gareth Southgate to strengthen the connection between fans and his squad. England have come agonisingly close to breaking their 60-year major trophy drought at recent tournaments, twice reaching the European Championship finals. Kane is one of a handful of players who remain from the squad that reached the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup in Russia under Southgate. The skipper said he is enjoying the “freshness” of England’s group.
“There aren’t many players from those early tournaments in this squad, so there’s a freshness about it, where you can really see a hunger, a desire, and excitement from the players in the team, just to kind of be part of what could be obviously a special summer,” he said. “You see us around the place, everyone getting on, everyone being with each other, spending time together, but also you see it in training, the way we train, the intensity we train… for places, but there’s no anger towards your competition.”
Tuchel swapped the dugout for the baseball mound on Thursday, throwing the ceremonial first pitch at the home of the Kansas City Royals as his players enjoyed some downtime. Kane and defenders Dan Burn and Djed Spence were watching their boss throw the ball to Royals manager Matt Quatraro ahead of the MLB clash with the St Louis Cardinals.
“Great recovery day with the boys at the baseball,” the captain said on social media. “Would love to give batting a go one day! Thanks for having us @Royals.” England’s next match is against Ghana in Boston on Tuesday before their final group game against Panama on June 27.
© 2024 AFP
