FROM chasing a handful of silver to facing a handful of Da Silvas – it has been some week for Harry Kane.
All eyes were on the England captain as he made his first Spurs start of the season after confirming on Tuesday he would not be leaving them this summer after all.
And Kane did not disappoint as having sorted out his own short-term future he did the same for Tottenham by firing them into the Europa Conference League proper with a first-half brace in this play-off decider.
His two trademark strikes overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg as just 817 days after lining up for Spurs in the Champions League Final, he booked their place in UEFA’s new third competition.
Oh and all on a night when he became the North Londoners joint-highest European appearance maker, equalling Steve Perryman’s record of 64 matches in continental competitions.
Barring a catastrophe, Kane will now surely go on to beat that figure and hold that record on his own.
Whether he will match Perryman’s reputation as one of football’s true gentlemen is another matter after the way he has behaved this summer in trying to force through a megabucks move to Manchester City, despite having three years left on his contract to run.
But while Kane may no longer be viewed as the same man by many following his antics, he showed he is still the same deadly striker.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
And if he continues to play this season with the same application and ability, the Lilywhites hordes can have few complaints – until the saga over his future rears its ugly head again either in January or at the end of the season, which it almost certainly will do.
The golden boy of English football has not exactly covered himself in glory with his cack-handed exit strategy.
But any Spurs fan wondering whether their fallen idol would still put a shift in after being forced into an embarrassing U-turn need not have worried.
Kane, despite only 20 minutes of first team football under his belt, since captaining England in the Euro 2020 Final on July 11, looked fully up for this one as he showed he is more ruthless on the pitch than at the negotiating table.
He ensured this time it his Portuguese opponents – with four players named Da Silva in their ranks – it was doing the turning.
Kane told Tottenham last season he wanted to leave, with Prem champs City his preferred destination.
He insisted his motive was not greed – although the £400,000 a week they were reportedly going to pay him would have come in handy – but honours.
This competition may not have been on his list of trophies but given their old Mother Hubbard trophy cabinets, there is no doubt he and Spurs would take it.
Kane was cheered by the minority of travelling Tottenham fans when he made his first appearance as a 72nd minute sub in Sunday’s 1-0 win at Wolves.
Not all Spurs supporters are happy with him following his antics in the close season, but the crescendo of cheers that greeted his name when the teams were read out before kick off blew any negativity away.
And Kane nearly made the perfect start as he fired just wide after NINETEEN SECONDS.
But we all knew what was coming and when he slotted home from Bryan Gil’s cross to open the scoring in the ninth minute the 30,000 fans in this 62,000-seater stadium almost took the roof off.
The fact his team-mates could not wait to celebrate with him shows there is no ill-feeling in the dressing room either.
Kane's predatory credentials in front of goal were there for all to see again when he added a second with a close-range finish in the 34th minute.
“You’re Spurs and you know you are,” sang the home fans, who then gave their idol a standing ovation when he was replaced moments after Antunes had deflected in Giovani Lo Celso’s inswinging free kick to complete a comfortable night for the hosts and their Three Lions skipper.
FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS
Kane’s replacement Son Heung-min almost added another and so did a couple of other Spurs stars – but this was only about one man.
And Tottenham will go into today’s draw for the group stage after normal service was resumed in N17.
Well, as normal as things can be when your name is Harry Kane.
⚽ Read our Transfer news live blog for the very latest rumours, gossip and done deals
Source: Read Full Article