Harry Kane scored what could prove to be not only a vital goal for Bayern Munich when he slotted home from the penalty spot against Arsenal last night – but also a key strike for England.
The former Tottenham striker marked his return to north London with a 15th goal against the Gunners as Bayern secured a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
While Kane is usually a reliable penalty take, having now scored 71 out of the 82 spot-kicks he has taken in his career, he saw fit to change his style against Arsenal.
Usually one to take a decent run-up and attempt to lash the ball into a corner, Kane took a shorter, much more measured run-up for the spot-kick against David Raya before rolling it into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal.
“I did some research on his [shoot-out] against Porto,” Kane told TNT Sports after the game. “He [Raya] really gets to the corners early, so I had to change my style a little bit.
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“It was nice to see him go early and make it easy for me.”
England fans will be hoping that Kane’s new style of penalty-taking could benefit the Three Lions this summer.
Gareth Southgate’s side crashed out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after Kane fired a late penalty over the bar against France, as the England skipper spurned the chance to equalise against the eventual finalists.
Kane quickly bounced back from the penalty miss and has scored four times from the spot for the Three Lions since, but in showing that he can adapt his style to face different goalkeepers, it will hopefully ensure that Southgate’s men do not have the penalty spot to blame for more tournament heartbreak this summer.
Ivan Toney took England’s last penalty when he converted from 12 yards out in last month’s 2-2 draw against Belgium at Wembley.
