Ranking Harry Kane’s knockout performances won’t silence England skipper’s doubters | OneFootball

With some people fretting over Harry Kane when it matters for England, we’ve gone back through our archive to rank his performances when the heat is really on.

Ahead of the World Cup semi-final against Argentina, one Mailboxer called for Kane to be dropped – the silly sausage.

Of course, that’s nonsense. Kane is quite simply England’s greatest goalscorer, a national treasure, and light years from being a burden like Cristiano Ronaldo. But perhaps there is some validity to concerns over his performances in knockout football.

We’ve gone back through our England player ratings pieces in the immediate aftermath of knockout matches at World Cup and European Championships to rank his Three Lions contributions from worst to best.

Sadly, we start with one of the biggest…

17) Euro 2024 final: England 1-2 Spain

Joined Bayern Munich last summer and captained the pre-tournament favourites at Euro 2024; Kane has somehow finished the season without a trophy, meaning he still has no medals to show for a wonderful career, aged 30.

Gareth Southgate made the brave, yet correct, call to bring off his captain just after the hour mark after an alarmingly ineffective performance, which we knew would happen.

Having been uninvolved to see the big-game narrative roar, Kane picked up a yellow card for a follow-through with his Skechers studs on Fabian Ruiz. The Bayern striker’s first touch let him down basically every time he got it and was a useless outlet for Pickford and his defenders when they went long.

Ollie Watkins’ name was being sung by the England fans and Southgate listened, aptly and swiftly bringing the Aston Villa man on to try and hurt the Spain defence in behind.

16) Euro 2016 quarter-final: England 1-2 Iceland

“What the f*** was that?” was the simple response from my dear partner, an avid non-football fan, as Harry Kane blasted a well-placed free-kick horribly wide in the second half. From a woman so used to almost daily disappointment, the sight of the Tottenham striker squandering another goalscoring opportunity in this tournament still managed to elicit such a withering critique. After finishing as the Premier League’s Golden Boot winner, the 22-year-old was supposed to spearhead England’s charge into the latter stages of this summer. The system can only go so far to explain what a let-down he has been.

15) World Cup 2018 semi-final: England 1-2 Croatia

A real shame. He has no excuse for his first-half miss, which was weak and poorly placed. He was effective in the air and at winning free-kicks to relieve pressure, but was otherwise barely in the game. As he did against Colombia, he dropped deeper and deeper, and as it was against Colombia, it was a clear tactic to try and get the most out of a player performing at no more than 60%. Aside from a few incisive passes, it did not pay off. If England had anything that resembled a genuine replacement, he would have been substituted long before extra-time.

14) Euro 2024 semi-final: England 2-1 Netherlands

Did all of his good work in a ten-minute spell early in the first half, hitting one effort from 30 yards to test Bart Verbruggen, coming deep to link the play like The Real Harry Kane before switching it to the right, and winning a very suspect penalty between.

Possibly the first time on record that a penalty has been given when a striker gets his shot off. We’re all for spot kicks being given in those instances by the way, but this was a weird one to make the yardstick. Looked to us like Denzel Dumfries was just trying to block the shot. Anyway, Kane converted with aplomb and is now somehow level at the top of the goalscoring charts despite what we assume must be near-constant back spasms given his lack of impact.

13) Euro 2024 quarter-final: England 1-1 Switzerland (England won on pens)

Whether it’s the system he’s playing in, the fact he’s not fully fit or a combination of the two, there can be no denying that England aren’t getting the best out of Kane right now.

It took until the 82nd minute until he got his first shot away and he had fewer touches (26) than any other England player who started the game.

After becoming increasingly jaded, he was eventually withdrawn in extra time after tumbling into Southgate on the sideline. Fingers crossed that injury isn’t anything too serious.

12) World Cup 2022 quarter-final: England 2-1 France

Should have had a penalty in the first half – whether it was in or outside the box, how the Brazilian referee missed the foul is beyond us. Had a couple of other sights of Lloris’s goal in the first half, when his Spurs team-mate was equal to them. But Kane showed big hairy balls of steel to dispatch the spot-kick England were eventually awarded. The League Two official needlessly heightened the tension by blasting his whistle at those around the box. Kane collected his thoughts, re-spotted the ball, and tw*tted it keeper’s left when Lloris flung himself right. The less said about his second penalty the better, the regret heightened by the expectation that he simply would not miss. Head up, lad.

11) Euro 2020 final: England 1-1 Italy (Italy won on pens)

The game’s most influential force in the opening half-hour and once again dropped deep to devastating effect in the creation of England’s goal. Some genuinely elite close control and hold-up play both deep and on the shoulder of the defenders. Got through a ton of work, but the cold, hard facts are that Sterling and Kane, who had scored seven goals between them in the tournament, didn’t have a single shot between them in the final. Italy thoroughly Italied them. Shootout penalty a significant upgrade on his Denmark one.

10) Euro 2024 last 16: England 2-1 Slovakia

There was no difference in a positive sense for Kane in this game compared to the group stage – until extra time. He was as slow, passive and laborious as he has been throughout. Injuries at the end of the season with Bayern Munich may be a factor, but tactically, England never got the best out of him either. Yet ultimately, it didn’t matter.

He dropped too deep all the time and wasn’t as proactive in the area as he needed to be. His header wide from Foden’s free-kick cross and shot over after Rice hit the post will still haunt him. Even if he isn’t 100% fit, he needed to offer much more overall, but who cares?!

9) World Cup 2026 quarter-final: England 2-1 Norway

His first sight of goal was a free-kick on the edge of the box that he blasted over. It was a quiet start, quiet middle, and quiet finish. Despite this, Kane still managed to register an ‘Error led to goal’ after going down too easily and staying down as Norway scored. The England captain thought he was fouled but he was not. Deep into first half stoppage-time, Kane had the ball in the net with a delightful dink but went too early for a sublime Bellingham pass. That wasn’t a vintage Kane performance, but seriously who cares? The fact he was poor makes Bellingham’s standout performance all the more impressive.

8) World Cup 2018 quarter-final: England 2-0 Sweden

The England captain desperately wants the Golden Boot but since the group stage, Kane has had to sacrifice his personal ambitions for the sake of the team. The centre forward has played noticeably deeper, acting as a pivot around which Lingard, Alli and Sterling can swarm. Kane managed one shot on goal, a 19th-minute effort that was pulled just wide after Sterling had driven England forward for the first time. Around him, Sterling, Kane and Lingard managed eight attempts between them. No sign of a goal but still a captain’s performance.

7) Euro 2020 last 16: England 2-0 Germany

I have no notes on him for the first half-hour. The first note at that point says ‘Check if has touched ball’. Apparently he touched the ball twice in the first half-hour, but I remember neither of those. Did come into things in the final minutes of the half after dropping deep in ‘Tottenham Kane’ fashion to get on the ball. Nearly played in Phillips and then won a free-kick after a smart turn.

Absolutely should have scored – and at his best absolutely would – when the ball broke to him in front of goal in first-half stoppage time. Taking a touch was probably the right decision; taking a clunking great leaden heavy one was not. Barely involved again in the second half, until some understated but vitally important hold-up work in the build-up to Sterling’s goal. Then headed home a second to not so much settle the nerves as obliterate them entirely as he suddenly sniffed a chance and raced forward to get on the end of Grealish’s perfect cross.

Just goes to show the old saying is still true: you can never write off Harry Kane.

6) Euro 2020 semi-final: England 2-1 Denmark

Almost played in Sterling with a whipped cross from the right that Spurs fans have seen and Heung-Min Son has profited from a hundred times before. Had an absolutely huge 10 minutes after the Denmark opening goal. His leadership is one of example, of deed, and he singlehandedly chilled a frantic England team the f*** out.

We’ve waited to find how England would respond to falling behind; here was the answer. He won a clever free-kick that Sterling almost got over the wall, he put in a great cross that Sterling almost got past Schmeichel and then played an absolute sex of a pass for Saka to create the equaliser. This was Kane in full “Tottenham Kane” pomp, popping up all over the pitch to win a pressure-easing free-kick here, play a defence-splitting pass there. Also managed to take his worst penalty for about four years and still get away with it thanks to a no-look rebound conversion.

Now level with Gary Lineker for most major tournament England goals and also has a genuine chance of winning some proper silverware at last – while also sidling off with the Golden Boot having failed to score a single goal in the group stage.

Full ratings after England reached first final since 1966

5) World Cup 2022 last 16: England 3-0 Senegal

Lovely pass to Bellingham in the build-up to the opening goal but scoring a goal of his own was clearly a big deal for the 2018 Golden Boot winner. Good to get a chance he could just put his laces through without too much finesse, especially after missing an earlier opportunity. We also quite enjoy the fact that since everyone moaned about Kane’s Golden Boot being all fraudulent for containing five goals against rubbish group-stage teams that his last six tournament goals for England have all come in knockout games. He’s started to treat the group stage the way he used to treat August.

Now England’s all-time leading tournament goalscorer and also an elite playmaker to boot. No offence, but Callum Wilson could never.

4) Euro 2020 quarter-final: England 4-0 Ukraine

Took that early chance so, so well on the stretch, albeit assisted by a goalkeeper who almost appeared to be trying to get out of the way of it, buried the header for the second and then nearly scored an absolute nonsense of a volley to complete a hat-trick. It earned the corner that allowed Henderson to break his international duck, so it was still worth it. It’s very good that he’s good again. Started the tournament being replaced for tactical reasons – now being taken off to rest up for a semi-final. He and England have come quite some way.

3) World Cup 2026 last 16: England 3-2 Mexico

Another knockout stage goal for the man who only stat-pads in group games, but it was a penalty wasn’t it? Doesn’t really count, even though it meant everything. Led the line imperiously until his late withdrawal as England placed all their eggs firmly in the ‘scramble over the line in normal time’ basket.

Highlight of his performance was the assist for Bellingham’s second. Bellingham and Kane might be the only two people on earth who didn’t think Kane was going to shoot there.

A touch unlucky with the penalty he conceded; it was a penalty, but it’s also one that would never, ever have been given or complained about before we so pitifully handed our game over to the nerds and boffins to micro-manage and pore over looking for every little thing.

Magnificent post-match interview with three per cent of his voice intact as well. He and England go again.

2) World Cup 2026 last 32: England 2-1 DR Congo

Thank all the f***s for England’s greatest-ever goalscorer. For the most part, this was another frustrating outing for Kane, especially when denied a stick-on penalty late in the first half, until Gordon finally delivered a smidgen of decent service. His first was a poacher’s finish; the second a GOAT’s. Ballon d’Or, Ballon d’Or, Ballon d’Or!

1) World Cup 2018 last 16: Colombia 2-2 England (England won on pens)

Absolutely brilliant. Absolutely sodding brilliant. He won the penalty, waited for the penalty and converted the penalty with all the cool and calm of a man obsessed only with scoring more goals than anyone else. He’s really quite good at that, to be fair.

He was also magnificent at using his strength to win free-kicks; he was fouled nine times before a niggling injury slowed him down to walking pace. But even then he displayed his enviable passing range from deep, almost finding Jamie Vardy on a couple of occasions.

Kane has become the obvious and understandable poster boy for this campaign. It hardly felt possible, but the responsibility seems to have taken him to yet another level.