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England captain Harry Kane left the stadium with a strapped ankle after the Three Lions' win over Iran in their 2022 FIFA World Cup opener today (November 21). Journalist David Ornstein reported that Kane was spotted limping after the match and had his right ankle strapped.
Iran defender Morteza Pouraliganji attempted a meaty tackle from behind on the Tottenham Hotspur striker in the 48th minute of the game. Kane's right ankle was trapped between the ground and Pouraliganji's leg, resulting in a fall.
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He fell hard on the ground and received immediate medical treatment on the field for the next few minutes. He was able to carry on, but was substituted in the 76th minute as a precaution.
Kane, the Golden Boot winner from the 2018 FIFA World Cup, did not manage to get on the scoresheet in England's emphatic 6-2 win over Iran. However, he provided two assists.
He helped Raheem Sterling score England's third goal in injury time of the first half. He then also helped substitute Marcus Rashford get on the scoresheet in the 71st minute.
England coach Gareth Southgate believes Harry Kane will be fine despite an injury scare
Gareth Southgate will be a happy man after watching his team score six goals in the campaign opener of the World Cup. He had to make a couple of substitutions as a precaution in the 6-2 win over Iran, which included Kane. Defender Harry Maguire was the second player to be taken off with an illness.
In the post-match comments, he said that Kane will be fine. He was taken off the pitch because England could manage to do without him at that point in the game. Southgate said at the post-match press conference (via Mirror):
"I think Harry's fine. It looked like a bad tackle but he carried on in the game. We took him off because we felt it was a moment in the game we could do that."
Maguire was the first English player to be substituted and Southgate explained in the post-match conference that the Manchester United defender felt ill. He said (via Eurosport):
"Harry Maguire felt ill. He flagged it before the goal. There was no point carrying on, but other than that there's no causes for concern."
England will play the USA in their second game of Group B on Friday (November 25). A couple of days of rest should be enough for both Kane and Maguire to recover for that match.
