Harry Kane is confident he is going to hit top form at the perfect time for England at the World Cup as they take on Senegal in the last 16 on Sunday.
The England captain has yet to score in Qatar, despite England hitting the back of the net nine times in the group stage, but did supply three assists for teammates.
Gareth Southgate's side topped Group B after thrashing Iran 6-2, drawing 0-0 with the United States and then comfortably defeating neighbours Wales 3-0.
Keane won the Golden Boot four years ago as England reached the semi-finals in Russia but five of his six goals came during the group stage.
Conversely, Kane had no goals at the end of the group stage of Euro 2020 last summer but then went on to score against Germany, twice against Ukraine and again in the semi-final win over Denmark before England lost the final on penalties to Italy.
Having experienced both sides of tournament football, Kane – who has 51 goals for England and needs three more to overtake Wayne Rooney's record of 53 – is keen to hit his stride at the right time.
“It probably goes back to 2018,” he said when asked about finding his form at the right time.
“In the World Cup, I felt like, just from a physical and maybe mental side of things, we started the tournament great, I started the tournament with loads of goals, used a lot of energy and as the tournament went on, I felt like my performances dipped in the latter stages.
Wales 0 England 3: player ratings
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WALES RATINGS: Danny Ward – 5. Made an excellent early save from Rashford, sprinting from his line to block, but was later left to rue a costly mis-step before the Manchester United forward’s free-kick and found himself nutmegged for England’s third. Getty Images -
Neco Williams – 5. Reverted to full-back as Robert Page bolstered his defensive numbers, but was substituted with concussion shortly after the half-hour, having taken a powerful Rashford shot to the head. AFP -
Chris Mepham – 6. Impressive in the first half. Quick to sniff and snuff out danger whenever it developed in his vicinity, most notably closing down Foden to force the England man to blaze over. Overrun in the second half though, and perhaps slow to react to the turnover for England’s second. AP Photo -
Joe Rodon – 5. Solid enough in the opening 45 minutes as Wales remained low and compact, but his foul on Foden gave Rashford the half-chance to open the scoring from distance. Clashed heads with Callum Wilson just after the hour but kept going and denied Foden a late tap-in. Getty Images -
Ben Davies – 6. Returned to full-back on paper, but spent the majority of his time in a more central area. Caught in possession by Rashford for Foden’s killer second goal and soon departed injured – a sad end for one of Wales’ better performers at the tournament. Getty Images -
Joe Allen – 5. Restored to the starting lineup and provided a reliable screen in front of the defence while Wales defended in bulk. Almost capped his display with his side’s best efforts of the first half, but was unable to keep pace with the game as Southgate’s men stepped up through the gears. AFP -
Ethan Ampadu – 6. A more disciplined performance than his showing against Iran. Provided strong defensive reinforcement in open play and showed good ambition and range with his passing. Moved to right-back after England had taken an unassailable lead. Getty Images -
Daniel James – 4. Brought in on the right side of attack to provide killer pace on the counter, but Wales were unable to get him into the game. Frustration crept into his performance and he picked up a booking for a late foul on Stones. Came close with a curling cross-shot early in the second half. AP Photo -
Aaron Ramsey – 4. Curbed his creative influence to stifle Declan Rice to good effect in the first half, but had to show more ambition after England’s quickfire double strike. Guilty of a nasty challenge on Henderson which prompted a deserved booking. Getty Images -
Gareth Bale – 3. His low-key outing against Iran continued with another marginalised performance. Never looked like sprinkling stardust on the occasion. Barely involved in play and only lasted until half time before being hooked as Wales reshuffled. Getty Images -
Kieffer Moore – 5. Totally isolated in the first period as Wales spent the vast majority on defensive duties. Left chasing shadows and had to drop deeper to get a sniff of the action. Doing so resulted in a deflected long-ranger which Pickford did well to turn away. Never gave in. EPA -
SUBS: Connor Roberts (Neco Williams, 36) – 4. Dropped after a lacklustre showing against Iran, but introduced before half time in place of the stricken Williams. Struggled in the face of England’s pacier opening to the second half as Rashford ran riot. AP Photo -
Brennan Johnson (Gareth Bale, half time) – 5. Added more presence than Bale, but only just. Wales struggled to get him involved in the game as England comfortably wrested control. Getty Images -
Joe Morrell (Ben Davies, 59) – 5. Joined Joe Allen in a midfield reshuffle but Wales no longer had a foothold in the game. His thankless task became damage limitation. Getty Images -
Harry Wilson (Daniel James, 77) – N/A. Entered the fray long after it had been decided. Had one effort from a free-kick but thudded it against the defensive wall. EPA -
Rubin Colwill (Joe Allen, 81) – N/A. A late introduction in place of the injured Allen, but had no time at all to get involved. Smashed one speculative effort well over the bar. AFP -
ENGLAND RATINGS: Jordan Pickford 7 - Save in 55th minute after a shot was deflected off Harry Maguire. Another clean sheet. Getty Images -
Kyle Walker 7 - Important minutes for a player who has been short of match fitness since he hasn’t played for two months. Passed the test. AFP -
John Stones 8 - Stayed on his feet and always in control – like when Moore faced him with an 87th minute chance. Missed a sitter at the end. Getty Images -
Harry Maguire 7 - A second clean sheet, Maguire is of the view that tight defences go a long way to winning trophies. Solid. Again. More touches than anyone on the pitch. AFP -
Luke Shaw 7 - A couple of key passes. No problems for him. AFP -
Declan Rice 6 - Smart interception to set up Rashford with a first-half chance, but not as involved as the other midfielders. Higher passing accuracy than any other player. Reuters -
Jordan Henderson 7 - First England start since March and vocal throughout. Gareth Southgate used as many players as possible and it is working as England finished top of their group. AFP -
Jude Bellingham 7 - Beautiful flicks with Foden in England’s best first-half move. Shots, key and accurate passes, better than in the game against the USA. Such a mature player for his age. Such high energy levels, too. Getty Images -
Phil Foden 7 - Started – as most England fans desired – for his 20th cap. Shot wide after 14 and bent a shot wide on 37 after a move where England cut through Wales. Not clinical enough to justify the clamour for his selection but improved and his goal was deserved. Getty Images -
Marcus Rashford 9 - Had a first-half chance when he ran at the goalkeeper but failed to lift the ball over. Wonderful free-kick over the Welsh wall after 51 gave England the lead, then he won the ball back within a minute which led to the second. And he got the third, smashing it with his left foot. Getty Images -
Harry Kane 8 - Went straight after Wales when England went ahead and was rewarded by getting the ball to set up Foden with a sweet low cross for England’s second. Pressed from the front. Three assists in the competition now. Getty Images -
SUBS: Callum Wilson (On for Kane after 57) 7 - Lively shift and brought energy. PA -
Trent Alexander-Arnold (On for Walker after 57) 6 - Key minutes for the Liverpool full-back. Getty Images -
Kalvin Phillips (On for Rice after 57) 76 - Super ball forward to Rashford for England’s third goal. Getty Images -
Kieran Trippier (On for Shaw after 65) 6 - Being rotated and it’s healthy that Southgate has options at full-back. Getty Images -
Jack Grealish (On for Rashford after 75) N/A - Got involved straight away. Getty Images
“I was conscious before the Euros of trying to make it the other way. Of course I still wanted to start well but I was trying to make sure that physically and mentally I was in the best place for the knockout stages.
“I carried it into this tournament. I would love to be sitting here with two or three goals now for sure but I think the group stage has gone well. Minutes-wise, it has not been too tough.
“I feel as match fit as I’m ever going to feel. Only time will tell. Hopefully I can do well tomorrow and come into the best form in these knockout games.
“Form-wise I feel like I have been playing well, goals are what I’m going to be judged on most but as always I’m a calm individual and always try to focus on the team and do my best for the team.
“I will continue to try to do that, if the goals come, great, it means it will give us a better chance of winning the game.”
Senegal qualified for the knockout stages for the first time in 20 years despite losing leading forward Sadio Mane to injury before the tournament but Three Lions manager Southgate said he was not surprised by their progress.
“Sadio is obviously an incredible player and every team would want to have him, but what we've seen with the team of Senegal is that they've become very strong in his absence,” he said.
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USA attacker Christian Pulisic hits a shot against the crossbar in the first half during their goalless draw with England at Al Bayt Stadium on November 25, 2022. Getty -
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford cannot stop Christian Pulisic's shot hitting the crossbar. AFP -
USA forward Christian Pulisic after hitting the bar. AFP -
Harry Kane sees his shot deflected wide for corner in first half. EPA -
USA goalkeeper Matt Turner saves from England's Mason Mount in first-half injury-time. AP -
England manager Gareth Southgate. Reuters -
USA's Haji Wright challenges Harry Maguire of England for a header. Reuters -
England captain Harry Kane shoots for goal but the strike is deflected out for corner. AP -
England's Mason Mount after going close to scoring in the first half. Reuters -
England forward Harry Kane. AFP -
England's Jack Grealish goes to tackle Shaq Moore of the United States. AP -
England forward Bukayo Saka is challenged by USA's Tyler Adams. AFP
“They have shown great spirit through losing him so we know that it doesn't make a difference to the level of the fixture for tomorrow.”
England are unbeaten against African teams in their 20 encounters but have never met Senegal, who were crowned African champions earlier this year under coach Aliou Cisse.
Senegal also have several players who ply their trade in the English Premier League and second-tier Championship, led by skipper Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy who both play for Chelsea.
“We've been very impressed. We know that they're African champions – very proud, great competitive spirit, a lot of belief in the team,” Southgate added.
“They have some excellent individual players who can cause problems – a good structure to the team as well. So I think Aliou has done a fantastic job.
“They were very unlucky not to qualify from the group in Russia [in 2018] and they've deservedly done it this time so we know exactly the size of the task ahead of us.”
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Senegal's Kalidou Koulibaly celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal in the 2-1 Group A win against Ecuador at Khalifa International Stadium on November 29, 2022, in Doha. Getty -
Ismaila Sarr celebrates his penalty with teammates. AFP -
Ismaila Sarr celebrates scoring his team's first goal. AFP -
Ismaila Sarr celebrates with teammates. AFP -
Moises Caicedo of Ecuador celebrates after levelling at 1-1. EPA -
Moises Caicedo celebrates with teammates after scoring. AP -
Ecuador's Moises Caicedo celebrates. Reuters -
Senegal's Kalidou Koulibaly celebrates scoring the winner. AP -
Kalidou Koulibaly celebrates scoring their second goal. Reuters
