HLV Phạm Thành Lương: 'Harry Kane là sự khác biệt của đội tuyển Anh'

HLV Phạm Thành Lương, a record holder in Vietnamese football with 4 Golden Ball awards, stated that the "Three Lions" ticket to the round of 16 bears the clear mark of Harry Kane's genius and killer instinct.

The England team narrowly made it through the tight gate named Congo to officially secure their place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. Harry Kane's world-class brace in the 75th and 86th minutes rescued a day full of deadlock for Thomas Tuchel's men.

Witnessing this performance, HLV Phạm Thành Lương had special praise for the Bayern Munich striker. Analyzing the difficult game of the foggy island representatives, the former national team player shared: "When dissecting England's victory over Congo, Harry Kane must be the first name mentioned.

He is the biggest difference between a big team and a phenomenon. In a game where the 'Three Lions' played disjointedly, Kane needed just two moments to prove his star quality with his ability to sniff out space and his ice-cold finishing.

I must admit, the Congo team played a very good match. With their abundant physical foundation and possessing many players who have or are currently playing in foggy island leagues, they seemed to understand the England team very well.

Congo proactively played a counter-attacking defense with long over-the-top passes, completely stifling the playing space for Bellingham or Kane for most of the time. Even in the first 25 minutes of the match, Congo's aggressive style caused England's defense to become confused and completely lose control.

England's deadlock was only broken when the coaching staff made tactical adjustments during the half-time break. Although they regained control of the game in the second half, the wing play and individual breakthroughs by Rashford or Madueke still lacked the necessary sharpness to penetrate the opponent's concrete defense, especially as Congo's goalkeeper Mpasi had an outstanding day.

However, the turning point came late in the second half when the Congo team began to tire and could no longer maintain their high pressing density. That was when Harry Kane's killer instinct spoke. The goal that sealed the 2-0 victory was a textbook masterpiece from a top-class center-forward: turning with his back to the ball, holding off the defender, taking a touch, and decisively finishing to decide the game."

Alongside the England team's performance, HLV Phạm Thành Lương also had much praise for the resilient fighting spirit of the Belgium team and the host USA: "The Belgium team played an extremely brave match. Despite being 2 goals down, the Belgian players never gave up but continuously diversified their attacking options, from direct central plays to early crosses from both flanks.

Romelu Lukaku's timely goal relieving the pressure lifted the whole team's spirits, allowing them to mount a worthy comeback. Meanwhile, the host USA, although not completely dominating the game against Bosnia, their efficiency and cool-headedness in taking their chances helped them get what they needed."

In the Round of 16, the England team will face the ultimate challenge of the host Mexico, while the Belgium team will enter a life-or-death battle with the host USA. These two blockbuster matches will take place on July 6th and 7th, respectively.