(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Some of the continent''s top strikers are finding it tough at the low-scoring European Championship, stifled by so-called weaker teams employing defensive tactics to grind out points.
England striker Harry Kane might know this better than anyone. The leading scorer in last season''s English Premier League with 25 goals for Tottenham, Kane didn''t score in the group stage and doesn''t remember even having a sight on goal against the deep, packed defenses of Russia, Wales and - as a second-half substitute - Slovakia. Iceland is next up for England in the last 16, and it could be more of the same. "Every team in the Euros is a good, solid team, they have a good base and can defend and make it difficult for us," Kane said Friday. "You see it at club level, too. There are teams who put in good performances to make it difficult for the big ones. "That''ssomething we are going to have to deal with." Kane is in good company in not scoring yet - Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller were expected to be among the top scorers in France but didn''t find the target in group play. France''s main striker, Olivier Giroud, has scored once. Speaking at England''s training base in Chantilly, north of Paris, Kane rejected suggestions that he was tired, having played 63 games for club and country since the start of the season. He has barely had a break for two seasons, because he played for England in the under-21 European Championship last summer, and said a combination of ice baths, recovery in the swimming pool and massages helps him manage the workload. "I''m not tired," said Kane, who has played only about 150 minutes this tournament. "I''ve had it before last year at under-21 Euros - people said the same thing, but I feel 100 percent fresh, ready. I don''t think burnout is a worry," he added. England captain Wayne Rooney feels for Kane. "There''s no space," Rooney said. Kane has only scored one goal in his last seven matches for Tottenham and England. "Harry knows he is a goal away from everything changing," said Rooney. "He''s a special player, a natural goal-scorer, a great finisher. If he gets chances, he''ll score goals."
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