Harry Kane hits hat-trick as The Three Lions reach last 16

Harry Kane may not have known much about his third goal against Panama yesterday, but make no mistake, England have finally found the world class finisher they need to punch deep into international competitions.

Leading from the front, he marshalled England to their biggest World Cup victory, scored two superb penalties and got his hat-trick when a shot clipped the back of his heel.

Job done, Kane made way for Jamie Vardy for most of the second half, able to reflect on the biggest win of the tournament so far, England’s biggest in any World Cup, and long-overdue ecstasy for the travelling English fans.

“A ball to be proud of,” smiled Kane, taking the man-of-the-match award. “Not many players score a hat-trick in the World Cup, so I’m extremely proud of it.

“Extremely proud of the way we played, the hard work... and we also had fun out there as well which was important.”

Well might Kane feel pride after becoming top scorer at the 2018 World Cup, his five goals taking him ahead of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku of Belgium.

Kane too became the first England player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup since Gary Lineker against Poland in 1986 and the third overall, with Geoff Hurst getting a treble in the 1966 final.