English striker Harry Kane scored the game-winning goal that helped England escape Tunisia 2-1 on Monday at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Volgograd.
Kane scored two goals, including the dramatic game-winning goal that steered England into its first opening game victory at a major tournament in 12 years. The last time England won an opening game in the competition was in the 2006 World Cup.
Dream Start For England Turns Into Nightmare
The Englishmen started the game aggressive as they attempted to infiltrate Tunisia's defense. The team's pressure defense paid off in the 11th minute. Kane found the back of the net, after Tunisia goalkeeper Mouez Hassen clawed off John Stone's header, putting England up at 1-0.
However, England made a costly mistake with 10 minutes to go in the first half as Kyle Walker fouled Fakhreddine Ben Yousef inside the box, which resulted in Colombian referee Wilmar Roldan awarding Tunisia a penalty. Ferjani Sassi leveled the game at 1-all after converting the penalty.
Prior to Sassi's goal, England had a chance to score at least four to five goals in the opening half but failed to capitalize due to poor finishing. Aiming to put an end to the opening game curse, England turned to Kane who headed a goal off the far post in the 91st minute to seal the team's victory. Kane, a Tottenham Hotspur offensive specialist, has been nothing short of phenomenal this season, scoring 41 goals.
"Even though the clock was running down, we stayed patient. We waited for opportunities. We made so many clearcut chances in the first half," England's Gareth Southgate said.
Dubbed as the Three Lions, England controlled 60 percent of the ball possession while unleashing 10 shots on target. England also had seven corners compared to Tunisia's two.
England will hope to put an even better showing next game when they take on the motivated Panamanian squad on Sunday, June 24. Panama is coming off an agonizing 3-0 loss to Belgium.
Meanwhile, Tunisia will take on Belgium on Saturday, June 23. Belgium and England will battle on June 28 at the Kaliningrad Stadium. England is in Group G with Tunisia, Belgium, and Panama.
Ranked as the 12th best team in the world by FIFA, England has appeared in 14 World Cups and won once. The Three Lions qualified for this year's World Cup in Russia after beating Slovenia in the penultimate Group F match in Wembley.
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