Harry Kane scored the decisive goal as England beat New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up match in Tampa, then stated that this is the best condition of Kane’s career, offering a confident message before the final friendly against Costa Rica and the World Cup opener against Croatia on June 17.

Kane’s winning goal came with a delicate header during first-half stoppage time, securing victory in a game slowed by intense heat and a difficult pitch, with England treating the contest as important preparation rather than a strict test of result before the tournament in June.

The New Zealand match added another landmark to Kane’s international record, with New Zealand becoming the 35th different national side Kane has scored against for England, which puts Kane seven teams clear of Wayne Rooney, who found the net versus 28 different opponents during an England career.

Kane also joined a select group of England players with double-figure goals against non-European opponents, becoming the fourth footballer to reach at least 10 such goals, alongside Gary Lineker on 18, Michael Owen with 13 and Bobby Charlton on 10, underlining Kane’s threat against teams from outside Europe.

Kane’s importance under Thomas Tuchel is highlighted by a scoring rate of eight goals in 13 matches for England, meaning Kane has scored in 62% of games during Tuchel’s tenure, the highest share for any England player under a manager with at least two matches in charge.