Sawt Falasteen - England's Kane feels 'as good as ever' ahead of Mexico World Cup clash

The captain scored twice on Wednesday as Thomas Tuchel's side came from behind to beat DR Congo 2-1 and advance to face co-hosts Mexico in the last 16.

Kane's stunning 86th-minute strike took him to 72 goals for club and country in the 2025/26 campaign -- second only to Lionel Messi's 82-goal haul in 2011/12.

"This season for me, 72 goals so far and hopefully a few more to go, is I think almost 20 more than I've ever reached in my career to date and I've had some pretty good seasons up until now," the 32-year-old said on England's Lions' Den show.

"I've had some good moments but in terms of how I feel right now, I think just from an overall package, I feel as good as I've ever felt going onto the pitch."

Kane, who has scored five goals so far at the World Cup to put him in the hunt for the Golden Boot, netted 61 times for Bayern as the club won the domestic double.

"No matter the situation, no matter what kind of chance I get, I feel like I can score goals," he said. "I just think there's a mixture of everything coming together at the right time."

Anthony Gordon, who set up both of Kane's goals in Atlanta, described his teammate as England's best.

"This season's only been beaten by Messi. When you actually put it like that, it's outrageous," said the Barcelona winger.

"Lionel Messi's the best ever. There's only one of him, and second behind him, there can't be any more of a compliment than that."

He added: "I think as a country we probably need to appreciate him a lot more than we do because he's the best to ever wear an England shirt."

Kane said England, among the pre-tournament favourites, were relishing taking on Mexico at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday.

"That sometimes brings the best out in the best players, so I can't wait for the game," he said.

"It's going to be an incredible occasion, atmosphere, and if you can win these types of games it only gives you more momentum, more confidence for the rest of the tournament."

J.Saleh--SF-PST