Harry Kane (32) shot England into the next round and could barely get a word out shortly after the final whistle. The Three Lions captain converted the ultimately decisive penalty against Mexico, leading his team into the World Cup quarterfinals. During the subsequent BBC interview, however, the striker's voice was simply gone.
No sooner had the conversation begun than Kane admitted: "My voice is gone." Host Kelly Somers countered dryly: "I think it says everything that your voice is gone". Visibly amused and with a broken, unusually squeaky voice, the captain fought his way through the questions.
"Wonderwall" by Oasis costs him his voice
The reason for the voice loss was as simple as it was endearing: Kane had sung extensively after the final whistle. Together with the team, he belted out the Oasis classic "Wonderwall" toward the English fans, as "The Sun" and "Daily Mirror" both report. "It was a crazy game. We had to fight and find a way. I just sang, I can barely speak", Kane croaked into the microphone.
At the end, he could only manage hoarsely: "I'm at a loss for words. I can barely talk." Host Somers advised him to rest his voice until the quarterfinal against Norway, after which Kane said goodbye with his hand on his throat.
On social media, the appearance caused amusement, as the "Daily Mirror" reports. "The altitude got to Harry Kane! One of the most brilliant things I've ever heard", wrote one user. Another joked that Kane now sounds "like Kermit the Frog".
Applause from the US President
Kane even received applause from the White House for his performance. Just shortly after the converted penalty, US President Donald Trump (80) spoke up and praised the Englishman in the highest terms. "Harry Kane from England is a great player!!!", Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The fact that the victory in the high-altitude Azteca Stadium was so hard-fought was due to a game full of twists. First, a double strike by Jude Bellingham gave England a 2-0 lead. But Mexico pulled one back through Julian Quinones before halftime.
Shortly after the restart, things got dicey: Jarell Quansah saw a red card after video review, and England played with ten men from then on. A little later, Kane converted the penalty that the fouled Anthony Gordon had won, making it 3-1. After another VAR intervention, Mexico was awarded a penalty themselves, which Raul Jimenez converted in the 69th minute to make it 3-2, setting up a nerve-wracking final phase.
Despite being a man down and a full eleven minutes of stoppage time, the English held on to their narrow lead. The reward: a quarterfinal against Erling Haaland's Norway, who had previously defeated Brazil 2-1. The evening was only marred by a "really serious" injury to Jordan Henderson, who fell over the advertising boards, injured his wrist, and was taken to the hospital.
