Yes, We KANE: Harry Kane saves England the blushes with shot heard round the World Cup

Hello and welcome to another edition of Offside. The term “shot heard round the world” was popularised by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his poem Concord Hymn, whose opening stanza was: “By the rude bridge that arched the flood/Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled/Here once the embattled farmers stood/And fired the shot heard round the world.” The reference is to the opening volley at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, which sparked the American Revolutionary War and laid the foundations of the modern American state. Now, over 250 years later, three days before America’s big celebration, another shot was heard around the world, fired by an Englishman who, in his own way, very much epitomises American exceptionalism. England were struggling against DR Congo, who looked on course for one of the World Cup’s famous shocks after beating a hapless Jordan Pickford at his near post. England haven’t won a knockout game after going behind since 1966, when they fell behind to West Germany before lifting their only World Cup. But England have never had a striker like Harry Kane. His first goal came after Declan Rice moved to right-back, an area where England looked vulnerable after Thomas Tuchel decided to leave out the most creative right-back in the world in Trent Alexander-Arnold. Rice passed to substitute Anthony Gordon, who floated the ball in for Kane to head home with enough power to beat a keeper who had looked impenetrable until then. But it was the second goal that changed everything. Kane received the ball again from Gordon, took a first touch to move past the defenders and hit a shot with such power that no keeper in the world could have saved it. There’s a joke from the philosophy of Don Tzu that says if you don’t know what you are doing, neither does your enemy. Kane didn’t even look up while shooting the shot that was heard everywhere. Now, on the balance of evidence, it might not be coming home, although with Harry Kane in the ranks, one never knows, because this was an England goal that will be remembered and rewatched forever, like Paul Gascoigne’s dentist celebration, Beckham’s free-kick against Greece or Michael Owen’s Maradona-like dribble through the entire Argentina team. As DR Congo’s coach put it, it took the best striker in the world to beat them. Next up are the co-hosts Mexico in their hallowed land: the Azteca. Meanwhile, the last vestiges of Belgium’s Golden Generation pulled off the craziest comeback of the tournament so far, coming back from 2-0 down before scoring the latest goal in World Cup extra-time history in the 125th minute from a penalty that will be discussed ad nauseam. Belgium were the better team for 85 minutes, had better chances and will wonder if the football gods have condemned them to be sacrificed at the altar of dodgy penalties, much like the AFCON final. And finally, the US survived a red card to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0. It was nervy at 1-0, but Tillman scored with a gorgeous free-kick to make things safe for the US. Was it a red card? It was one of those days when VAR didn’t cover itself with glory, with many people looking at three big decisions. What the VAR? VAR has robbed football of its most joyous moment: the release of pent-up energy after a player scores a goal. Now, after a player scores, he waits around to see what some guy in a room full of cameras thinks before he starts celebrating. So when VAR messes up, it’s doubly galling. And yesterday, there were three glaring incidents. First, Harry Kane was denied a stonewall penalty, with the referee waving it off. What was glaring was that the referee didn’t even decide to send it for review, with ESPN’s VAR review stating that it was a deserved penalty. Second, Belgium got a penalty in the 125th minute, and it appeared to everyone that the first contact was outside the box. And finally, Balogun’s red card also looked rather odd. The referee didn’t give a red during the live game and then decided to check a tackle that was accidental or reckless, although certainly not violent or malicious. The slow-motion replay made it look worse, but it was FIFA bureaucracy that decided his fate because it dictates that a player cannot get a yellow card once a foul has gone to VAR and the on-field referee has reviewed it. Madness? It certainly feels like that. Matchday Action: Spain vs Austria July 3, 12:30am ISTSpain are the reigning European champions, have the world’s most talented teenage wunderkind in Lamine Yamal and a team that can probably pass the ball in their sleep, with their eyes closed, while grabbing the morning paper or any other permutation or combination. Austria, on the other hand, are a drilled and disciplined team run by Ralf Rangnick. Warrior WatchFor Spain, the obvious answer is the man who plays like he is possessed by Johan Cruyff’s ghost and baptised by Saint Messi. For Austria, it’s their organiser David Alaba, who will look to keep his team from panicking when Spain move the ball around. Battle PlanFor Spain, it’s simple: keep the ball, stretch Austria and let Yamal do his thing. But the trap is also simple: don’t drift into walk-the-ball-in tactics where every pass looks pretty, every triangle gets applauded by coaching nerds, and Austria still have enough time to put eight bodies between the ball and the goal. Spain have to move Austria side to side quickly enough for the gaps to actually open, then attack those gaps before Rangnick’s red shirts reset the furniture. The key is Pedri and Fabián Ruiz. If they dictate the tempo, Spain can turn the match into an exercise in positional torture: one switch to the right, one overload, one Yamal isolation, and suddenly Austria’s full-back is defending a teenager with the entire internet watching. Austria have to stop that first pass into midfield. Sabitzer and Laimer need to get close enough to make Pedri play backwards and force Fabián Ruiz to receive under pressure, because once Spain’s midfield are facing forward, the press is already half-dead. Austria’s best chance is to make Spain’s control uncomfortable. Press the first build-up, trap the ball wide, foul early if Yamal turns, and make Spain play at a speed they don’t choose. They cannot simply retreat and admire the geometry, because Spain will eventually find the one pass that makes the whole block look like IKEA furniture after a missing screw. The match is basically this: Spain need possession with teeth. Austria need pressure with timing. If Spain get rhythm, Yamal becomes the show. If Austria break that rhythm, Spain can become a very elegant team looking for a door that refuses to open. Dinner Table LineYamal is God’s gift to football, but Rangnick’s system could be the Antichrist that stops the Chosen One in his tracks. Matchday Action: Portugal vs Croatia July 3, 4:30am ISTThis is a battle of veteran Real Madrid legends: Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modrić. One is 41, the other is 40, although the real battle will be in midfield, while one will wonder if Roberto Martínez will do the obvious thing and drop Ronaldo. Behind him, Portugal have some of football’s greatest creators in Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva. Ronaldo is perhaps one of the greatest to ever play the game, but he is becoming a slow-ageing albatross around a talented team’s neck because no one wants to tell the emperor he can’t hack it any more. Warrior WatchPortugal's Bruno Fernandes (8) plays at the ball during the World Cup Group K soccer match between Colombia and Portugal in Miami Gardens, Fla., Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Bruno Fernandes is one of the few players in the world untouched by football’s conformity, and he can create something out of nothing, but the men in front of him need to be better. For Croatia, it will be a question of whether they can pull out another rabbit from the perpetual motion machine called Luka Modrić. Battle PlanPortugal won’t want Croatia to control the middle of the park and will need Vitinha and João Neves to play through midfield. Rafael Leão and Bernardo Silva will look to force Croatia’s full-backs backwards and give Bruno Fernandes the ball between the lines. The problem, as usual, is the Ronaldo tax: if every attack becomes a cross aimed at Cristiano Ronaldo, Croatia will accept that all night because Joško Gvardiol and the centre-backs can defend the box far more comfortably than they can defend runners arriving late. Dinner Table ConversationTalking point: Portugal have more firepower, but Croatia are the masters of dark magic in the FIFA knockout rounds. Matchday Action: Switzerland vs Algeria July 3, 8:30am ISTThe fascinating thing about this one is that it’s the Vladimir Petković Derby. Algeria manager Petković coached Switzerland from 2014 to 2021 and knows the players he will face. Warrior WatchGranit Xhaka remain Switzerland’s main man, while former Man City winger Riyad Mahrez will look to provide the magic dust. Battle PlanSwitzerland will look to make this a Xhaka sermon where Riyad Mahrez has no say. Algeria have already shown a weakness against long-range shots, so the Swiss plan should be brutally obvious: park bodies around the D, recycle the ball through Xhaka and Freuler, and keep asking Algeria’s keeper annoying questions from 20 yards. Algeria’s plan has to be disruption. Petković knows Switzerland too well to pretend there is some secret trapdoor under their midfield. The route is simpler: stop the first pass into Xhaka, crowd the centre, force Akanji and the Swiss centre-backs into hurried distribution, then break quickly through Mahrez, Ibrahim Maza, Amoura and Gouiri. Switzerland like order. Algeria need to make the game feel as if someone has changed all the traffic lights at once. The key flank is Algeria’s right versus Switzerland’s left. If Mahrez keeps getting one-on-one moments, Switzerland will start ageing in dog years. Dinner Table ConversationAlgeria want history. Switzerland want routine. Reality will beg to differ with one of them.