Harry Kane keeps setting records in his first World Cup adventure, as he scored his first hat-trick of the competition against Panama.
The English striker scored a couple of penalties past Jaime Penedo in the first 45 minutes, and added one more goal to his tally with over 28 minutes left in the match.
Kane led England to match a number of records with his impressive performance. To set an example, this weas the first game in which England scored over 4 goals since the 1966 final. Talk about ending a drought!
Furthermore, Kane also ended a 32-year drought for English strikers, who hadn't been able to score a hat-trick since the 1986 tournament.
3 - Harry Kane is only the third England player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match, after Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final, and @GaryLineker vs Poland in 1986. Illustrious. #ENGPAN #ENG #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/KH50ZlnmZJ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 24, 2018
That fact was confirmed by the man who scored England's most recent hat-trick in FIFA World Cup games until today.
Blinding finish from Harry Kane. The first player to score a hat-trick and a brace in consecutive World Cup games since 1986.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) June 24, 2018
How does Kane rank among England's all-time top scorers in FIFA World Cup history? Have a look.
Most goals scored for @England in the #WorldCup
— SPORF (@Sporf) June 24, 2018
Gary Lineker (10)
Harry Kane (5)
Geoff Hurst (5)
Bobby Charlton (4)
Michael Owen (4)
Harry Kane has played just 153 minutes. pic.twitter.com/vLUnMc7DLm
And yes, since we're comparing Kane's stats, let's see how he compares to those goals scored in FIFA World Cup games against Lionel Messi.
Kane goals in opening two games at the 2018 World Cup - 5
— Coral (@Coral) June 24, 2018
Messi goals in all the World Cup games he's played in - 5 pic.twitter.com/y1RVJWqiDx