‘Speechless’ Harry Kane equals Bayern Munich legend Gerd Müller for World Cup goals
Having already become England’s FIFA World Cup record goalscorer earlier in the tournament, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane netted his sixth of the 2026 edition to send the Three Lions through to the quarter-finals and further etch his name into international football folklore, following a five-goal thriller against co-hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca.
The England captain’s converted penalty, which he lashed into the bottom left corner after it had been won by teammate Anthony Gordon at the hour-mark, ultimately proved decisive for Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions, who weathered a late onslaught to become the first team ever to beat Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in a World Cup game, ending a 10-game unbeaten streak for El Tri in the process.
Kane also assisted former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham for his second goal of the evening, meaning that with two goal contributions, the No.9’s involvement tally for the season now stands at a staggering 81 in just 63 appearances across all competitions for club and country (73 goals, eight assists).
Incidentally, the goal itself – Kane’s 85th in an England shirt - also took the forward’s individual all-time World Cup count up to 14, which ranks him joint-fifth in the tournament’s record goalscoring standings alongside fellow legendary Bayern striker Gerd Müller, who achieved the same figure albeit in 13 career World Cup outings for Germany - three fewer than it took Kane for England.
Regardless, these individual records and the speed at which he achieved them was of no concern to the Three Lions’ captain after the full-time whistle, who waxed lyrical about the encounter in his post-match assessment, describing it as a “crazy, crazy game” and “one of my favourite nights in my career”.
Kane’s exertions over the 90 minutes at the Azteca, which sits at an elevation of over 2,200 metres above sea level, had clearly caught up with the Bayern forward, who had lost his voice by the full-time whistle, leading him to deliver an instantly iconic interview amidst the English celebrations.
The "speechless" striker praised the character shown by his teammates given the conditions and venue, saying: "Everyone fought for every inch of the ball, every inch of the grass [...] This will only give us more belief and more momentum. What a special night for England.
"We scored three goals away from home against a team that have not conceded in the tournament. We played 40-50 minutes with 10 men, so whatever you say about us as a team - the one thing we do have is complete desire, determination and pride in the shirt,” Kane added.
As the Bayern man also alluded to, England had to play most of the second half with a numerical disadvantage in terms of personnel, after Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah was dismissed for a challenge on Jesús Gallardo, meaning the Werkself defender will be unavailable for selection by Tuchel when England take on Norway in the quarter-finals in Miami on 11 July.
