Find out how Harry Kane’s goals against DR Congo changed each player’s chances of winning the World Cup Golden Boot!
Harry Kane’s chances of winning the World Cup Golden Boot for the second time have gone up a lot after he scored twice in England’s 2-1 win over DR Congo. The England captain saved the day by scoring both goals in the last 15 minutes, helping his team come back and win.
It wasn’t the most exciting game from Thomas Tuchel’s team, who seemed to lack energy and urgency for much of the match. Marcus Rashford and Jude Bellingham had some good chances around halftime to level the score, but DR Congo still looked dangerous on counter-attacks and even almost increased their lead.
Thanks to two assists from Anthony Gordon and Kane’s two goals, England avoided a tough loss. Now, they’re set to face Mexico in the last 16.
Kane has scored five goals so far in this tournament. He won the Golden Boot in 2018 in Russia when he scored six. This year, that number won’t be enough to win the award outright, since Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi both have six goals, and Norway’s Erling Haaland also has five.
So, what are the chances of each player winning the Golden Boot after Kane’s big game? France will play Paraguay in the last 16, giving Mbappe a chance to score more goals. Messi and Argentina are set to play Cape Verde in the round of 32, while Haaland’s Norway recently beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in their first knockout match.
Because Messi has played one game fewer, he is currently the favorite to win the Golden Boot, according to a supercomputer from BettingLounge. It gives him a 34% chance to win, predicting he could score 13 goals in total. If that happens, he would match the record for most goals in a single World Cup, set by France’s Just Fontaine in 1958.
The supercomputer predicts Kane will score 11 goals, putting him in second place, with Mbappe close behind with 10. Messi is expected to keep his record as the top all-time World Cup goalscorer, which he reached during Argentina’s 2-0 win over Algeria, passing Miroslav Klose’s 16 goals. Mbappe currently has 17, just one behind Messi.
Kane’s chance of winning the Golden Boot is now 22%, with Mbappe close behind at 20%. Haaland has a 13% chance, ahead of Brazil’s Vinicius Junior at 4%. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is given a 2% chance, after scoring twice earlier this week before Portugal’s last 16 match with Croatia.
Here’s a quick look at the chances for some top players:
– Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 34% (13 goals projected)
– Harry Kane (England) – 22% (11 goals)
– Kylian Mbappe (France) – 20% (10 goals)
– Erling Haaland (Norway) – 13% (6 goals)
– Vinicius Junior (Brazil) – 4% (7 goals)
– Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 2%
– Lamine Yamal (Spain) – 1%
– Julian Alvarez (Argentina) – 0.8%
– Ousmane Dembele (France) – 0.7%
– Julian Quinones (Mexico) – 0.6%
– All other players combined – 1.9%
So, it’s still anyone’s game, but Kane’s recent heroics have definitely boosted his chances!