Harry Kane insisted it was mission accomplished for England as they finished top of Group C at Euro 2024 despite being held to a lacklustre 0-0 draw by Slovenia on Tuesday.
Gareth Southgate’s side were booed off at the final whistle after once again failing to impress on a sweltering night in Cologne.
England’s third successive insipid display did not stop them taking first place in the group, which could offer them a potentially easier path towards the final.
And England captain Kane claimed it was better performance than the listless 1-1 draw with Denmark and the nervy 1-0 win against Serbia that preceded it.
“That was the aim before the start of the tournament. Come top of the group and control our destiny. I thought we played a lot better than the other games,” Kane said.
“We couldn’t just find that finish but we look forward to the next one. We created some half chances and there were some that we could maybe have done better.”
England looked slightly better in the second half once Southgate sent on Kobbie Mainoo and Cole Palmer to inject some energy to his moribund team.
“I think the boys who came on did really well and kept the energy high and that’s what we need. We need everyone chipping in and that’s what we are doing so far,” Kane said.
England will have to improve significantly if they are to win their first major trophy for 58 years.
But Kane was adamant there were signs the Three Lions are heading in the right direction.
“These games are tough. We have been here before and stepped it up in the past when we have got to the knockouts,” the Bayern Munich striker said.
“All games in this tournament are tough. It is going to be a difficult challenge ahead and we have enough ability to keep pushing.”
England defender John Stones said he understood why fans expressed their disappointment with jeers at the end of the game.
“I can get the fans’ frustration, we’re not taking chances, but that is football — it is never an easy game,” he said.
“The objective was to top the group and we have done that. It is not always going to be an easy road. It is not going to be easy when we have a target on our back to beat us.
“I thought there was a lot of improvement from the other two games. We found people in the pockets and created more chances, another step in the right direction.”
