Harry Kane struggled to hold back the tears as he paid tribute to Tottenham’s late fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone, who sadly passed away in midweek after a short battle with leukemia. The prolific Spurs frontman dedicated his winning goal against Brighton on Saturay to the Italian on an emotional night for Antonio Conte and his side, who ended a difficult week on a stellar note, with a positive result on the South Coast.
The Spurs camp was rocked by the devastating news on Thursday, following the 0-0 Champions League draw at Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday, meaning preparations for the trip to the Amex were far from straightforward.
However, they gathered their composure to record a1-0 win against Brighton courtesy of Kane’s first-half header.
The England captain went down in the final minutes of the match following a strong kick to the calf as he stepped in to block a shot late on but it appears there was nothing serious to it.
Kane pays tribute to Gian Piero Ventrone
Speaking after the game, he told Sky Sports: “It’s been a difficult week but yeah… [pausing to hold back the tears] it was very nice to get the win today.
“Definitely [the goal was for Ventrone]. It was a bit of a scrappy goal but when you’re feeling good, it just kind of comes off you and goes in.
“I knew it was close but managed to keep myself onside but really pleased.
“I’m really proud of the boys today, it’s been a tough week and to come here, it’s a really difficult place to go and although we didn’t play as well as we can, we dug deep. Clean sheet from the boys and it was a top performance.”
He then added on the injury: “It’s just a knock. He’s gone full power for the shot there and I just managed to get in front of him. It’s a sore one but they’re definitely worth it when you win the game.”
When told he should expect these questions a lot in the coming weeks in the build-up to the World Cup, he added: “I know, I’m feeling good, lots of games coming thick and fast. Champions League in midweek, we’ve got to recover well and the whole squad has got to be ready to play and keep battling through the games.”
Red-hot Kane has now scored eight Premier League goals this season, bagging a goal in each of his last 12 outings.
However, Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland is already the clear favourite for the Golden Boot, having already notched 15 times after Saturday afternoon’s goal against Southampton.
“There’s a long way to go, there’s some top players in the league, I’m feeling good and it’s good to be scoring goals that help the team win,” Kane said on the Golden Boot race.
