Harry Kane sends a warning to his England team-mates that defeat to Iceland should act as a wake-up call ahead of Euro 2024 – as he looks to avoid repeat of ‘pretty s***’ World Cup exit

Harry Kane says England need to wake up and realize they will not have a good time at the European Championship as he recalls the ‘beautiful s***’ ending to their last major tournament.

It was two years ago during the World Cup in Qatar that Kane fired a penalty over the bar as England trailed France 2-1 late in the quarter-final. That was enough to send them home, but on Monday they land in Germany as favorites to win the European Championship.

Optimism was dampened on Friday night during a lackluster 1-0 defeat to Iceland at Wembley – which was followed by boos from the home fans – but Kane believes this could be a good thing after all, especially as the opponent’s game plan is likely to be that of the home side will reflect. group of rivals Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia.

“This could be a nice wake-up call for everyone to realize that it’s not going to be as easy as people think,” the England captain said.

‘There is a lot of work to be done. Sometimes you need this wake-up call. There are areas we need to improve, especially with our pressure. The group games will be very similar to this. We will have to defend well, especially the longer balls, and we have to be a little more patient with the ball. It’s one to look back on.’

Kane is keen to avoid a repeat of the 2022 World Cup when he missed a penalty against France

The England captain says his own personal torment in Qatar is now firmly behind him

The Bayern Munich star made no bones about it, as he continued: “We fell below our standards without the ball and that is something we need to review and improve.

‘We had periods where we did well, played some really nice football and created some good chances. But especially against these types of teams you have to be more clinical.

‘There was probably not enough hunger in the duels, in the second balls and winning them. They play a big role when you play against these teams, to keep the pressure and really suffocate them. We didn’t do that well.’

Kane insists that belief in the group remains stronger than ever and says his own personal torment in Qatar is now firmly behind him.

“Pretty c***, huh?” he said about the penalty miss and the loss to France. ‘In football you will encounter ups and downs along the way. Obviously that was a setback for me at the moment, but I think in two years’ time I will have put that behind me, both for club and country, and I’m looking forward to another big tournament.”

Gareth Southgate’s side lost 1-0 to Iceland, but Kane believes this could be a wake-up call

Kane says there is a real hunger in the England squad after reaching the Euro 2020 final

Kane acknowledged the various challenges England will face as the country strives for glory

He added: ‘I have often said that we have to judge ourselves on tournament form, on tournament football. Obviously there will be some buzz about Friday, but I think there is a lot of optimism among the fans, and rightly so. Ultimately it is up to us to make sure we do well on the pitch. We have a lot of fantastic players. Players who have had very good seasons. You can’t ignore that.

‘Because we are so close to the last European Championship (beaten in the final), there is a real hunger to come back. It’s going fast, if I’m honest. We had the World Cup and we are back here. I feel like we are on the right track.

‘But as we all know, it is very difficult to win these tournaments. There are a lot of things you have to do well and prepare well, and you need a little bit of luck here and there. Every winner does that. We have the mentality that we can achieve this. We also know that we will be working hard from now until the final in July.’