Harry Kane loses his voice after Mexico win

Harry Kane was the quote of the night after England's 3-2 win over Mexico, because he could barely get through the interview. The captain scored the winner from the penalty spot in the 60th minute, also had one assist and one shot on target, and finished with a 7.3 rating over 90 minutes. Then he told BBC viewers: "I've just been singing, I can't really talk."

Kane's role in a messy win

The match had plenty going on around him, but Kane still shaped it in the decisive moments. His penalty put England back in front, and the assist showed he was involved beyond the spot-kick. That kind of output is familiar enough now: he has 6 World Cup goals across 5 appearances.

England were not cruising when Kane stepped up. Jude Bellingham had already scored twice in the 36th and 38th minutes, finishing with a 9.2 rating, and Jarell Quansah was sent off in the 54th minute for a serious foul. The game still needed a calm finish, and Kane provided it.

The post-match image was almost better than the goal. Kane admitted he had lost his voice after singing with supporters, which fits the night better than any tidy tactical summary. It was a chaotic Mexico vs England tie, but England got the result and Kane finished as the captain who scored, assisted and could barely speak afterwards.

The match left behind more than a scoreline

The delay before kick-off added to the sense that this was not a normal last-16 night. The game was pushed back by an hour because of lightning threat around the stadium, and the atmosphere stayed loud right through to full time.

Kane's numbers were solid, Bellingham's were better, and England still had to ride out the red card and the pressure that followed. But the lasting picture was the one from the BBC interview, where the captain was half-whispering through a smile after singing too much to celebrate properly.