Harry Kane says confident England believe they can beat France and go all the way to glory ahead of quarter-final clash
HARRY Kane says England are brimming with belief — as the nation hopes they can beat France in tomorrow’s crunch quarter-final.
Skipper Harry told fans confidence is surging that the Three Lions can go all the way to glory.
More than 20million will watch tomorrow’s showdown with the reigning champions — with England aiming to erase 56 years of hurt, including semi- final disappointment in 2018 and penalty agony at Euro 2020.
Spurs ace Harry used the word “believe” repeatedly in his rallying cry, saying: “We’re not here just to reach a quarter-final.
“Looking back in 2018 we didn’t really know what to expect — whether we had the full belief to win the tournament I’m not quite sure.
“We backed that up in the Euros getting to another final and lost by a couple of kicks of the ball and I believe the belief has been building over the past four or five years.
“We entered this tournament hoping and believing we can win it and we have got to the stage now where we expected to be — but now it’s time to push on.
“We face a very tough game tomorrow and I know everyone is ready. We are prepared and we go into that game with more belief than we had in 2018.”
Harry won the Golden Boot as top scorer in Russia 2018 and got off the mark in Qatar with a thunderbolt in the 3-0 last 16 thrashing of Senegal.
And he stressed that beating France at the Al Bayt stadium will not be enough.
‘Belief’
He said: “Between us, the players and staff have a real belief and a real determination to be successful as an England team. You can only prove that by winning games. But tomorrow isn’t the World Cup Final, it’s another step towards winning the World Cup and we must be focused on that.”
His message was echoed by boss Gareth Southgate, who also said his young team have matured and genuinely feel they could lift the Cup.
He admitted the players “could have talked a good game” in previous years but now have the experience of big nights as a group.
Southgate urged England to give their all in a match that brings “millions together”, adding: “We want to give them another night to be proud of.”
Asked what quality England would need most to beat superstar Kylian Mbappe and France, he responded: “Belief.”
England are boosted by the return of Raheem Sterling after he flew to the UK following a break-in at his family home.
Southgate revealed he would not need to say a single word to his players before they march out in front of 69,000 fans.
Asked what his final words would be in the dressing room, he said: “Nothing at all.
“Harry does it. By that point the messages and work are done and it’s up to the players.
“There are lots of times when I played when managers spoke and I thought, ‘Look, I’m ready. all you can do is mess it up for me now’. So I’ve taken that on board.”