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Harry Kane believes England’s surprising 1-0 defeat to Iceland could serve as a “nice wake-up call,” highlighting the challenges they will face at Euro 2024.
Despite being one of the favorites to win the tournament in Germany, Gareth Southgate’s team experienced a lackluster farewell at Wembley on Friday, leaving the players booed off the field in a half-empty stadium.
Iceland took an early lead through Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson and continued to have the better chances to increase their advantage, as England struggled both defensively and offensively.
Captain Kane acknowledges that the team must learn from this experience before their Group C opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday.
“Sometimes you need this wake-up call,” he said. “We need to improve in several areas, particularly our pressing game. The group stage matches will be very similar to this. We must defend well, especially against long balls, and be more patient with our possession.”
Despite the defeat, Kane, 30, remains optimistic, echoing the sentiments of England fans who believe the Euro 2020 finalists can triumph this time around.
“It’s ultimately up to us to perform on the pitch,” he said. “This loss could remind everyone that the journey won’t be as straightforward as some might think. There’s a lot of work ahead.”
After scoring 44 goals in 45 games in his debut season at Bayern Munich, Kane is eager to get started.
“Having come so close in the last Euros, there’s a real hunger to succeed. The tournaments come around quickly—after the World Cup, here we are again. I feel we’re on the right track, but we all know how tough these competitions are to win.”
Kane emphasized the importance of preparation and a bit of luck to win, stating, “Every champion needs some luck. We believe we can achieve it, but we also know it requires a lot of hard work from now until the final in July.”
England’s other Group C opponents are Denmark and Slovenia.
