Although coach Thomas Tuchel wants to draw any lessons from the first warm-up friendly match of the England team, there is still a constant truth. That is that Harry Kane plays a crucial role in the "Three Lions"' ambition to conquer the World Cup.
The 32-year-old striker created a different moment at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa when he headed close range from a left-wing pass from Djed Spence in injury time in the first half, bringing a 1-0 victory over New Zealand.
Kane can completely score more than one goal if he takes advantage of the opportunities he has, despite Tuchel keeping his pre-match promise when replacing the entire starting lineup after halftime.
However, Kane's goal helped England avoid disappointment when they could not defeat the team ranked 85th in the world and the lowest ranked team participating in the 2026 World Cup.
A few days earlier, Haiti - a team ranked only above New Zealand among the teams participating in the World Cup - easily defeated the representative of Oceania with a score of 4-0 at Fort Lauderdale. Therefore, this cannot be considered a truly convincing performance of the England team, although the World Cup championship will certainly not be decided from the beginning of June.
In essence, this is a test match, helping players get used to hot weather conditions, opponents playing deep defense and the pitch not meeting the highest playing standards.
The pitch was only installed a few days before the match after a Post Malone music performance three weeks ago. This made it even more difficult for the players. Although the bad weather in the early days in Florida helped England not have to face the harsh heat, they still clearly felt it when the temperature in the match reached 34 degrees Celsius.
Marcus Rashford had two notable chances, Kobbie Mainoo shot wide of the goal, and Dan Burn hit the post in the second half. However, amidst those situations, Kane was still the one who created the difference with his scoring instinct and classy positioning ability.
This is Kane's 79th goal for the national team, scored in the context that he just had an excellent season with 61 goals after 51 matches, making a great contribution to helping Bayern Munich win a domestic double.
Kane is not only the star of the present but also is writing history. He is currently ranked 10th in the list of top scorers in national team history, equal to Neymar and Zambia legend Godfrey Chitalu.
In 2026 alone, Kane is also the world's top scorer at club and national team level with 32 goals.
When asked about Kane, Tuchel said: "That's what he always does. He always appears at the right time to score. Finally, that's the decisive goal.
There is no secret at all. Scoring goals is always helpful, bringing a rhythm of competition and confidence. When you have a 1-0 advantage, everything becomes easier for the group of players who come on after halftime. Harry Kane is in very high form and I believe that when pressure appears at the World Cup, it will help the whole team maximize their ability.
However, England still has many things to improve. After the match, Tuchel described the starting lineup as a mixture, with Jarell Quansah playing right-back, Djed Spence playing on the opposite wing and the Jordan Henderson - Kobbie Mainoo duo guarding the midfield.
In front of 25,889 spectators, Ollie Watkins was arranged to play on the right wing in a 4-2-3-1 formation, while Morgan Rogers took on the number 10 role instead of Jude Bellingham.
England controlled the ball overwhelmingly but lacked sharpness in finishing. That is not a big problem in this match, but it will become very important when the World Cup kicks off.
