Southgate proud of side’s recovery
England manager Gareth Southgate said he was delighted with his team's performance despite having to rely on an injury-time Harry Kane goal to beat Tunisia in their opening World Cup match yesterday morning (Singapore time).
England lie second in Group G behind Belgium on goal difference and can all but secure qualification for the knockout stages with a win against Panama on Sunday.
Kane volleyed England in front from close range after 11 minutes, but Tunisia's Ferjani Sassi slotted home a softly awarded penalty after Kyle Walker's arm contacted Fakhreddine Ben Youssef, who went down in a heap.
But England were not to be denied and Kane's 91st-minute header saw him mobbed by his teammates in celebration.
"We recovered from a really harsh (penalty) decision and kept our composure, which pleased me," said Southgate.
"Even at 1-1, I was really proud of the performance. ..
"The performance is key, because that's what you can control.
"There were things in the game that we couldn't control tonight that we reacted really well to." - AFP
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