Gareth Southgate never doubted his No.9, and after a double in the 4-0 victory over Ukraine, the Three Lions’ captain has hit form at the perfect time

When Andriy Shevchenko embraced Harry Kane at full-time on the Stadio Olimpico grass after England’s thrashing of Ukraine, it was one great striker acknowledging the undoubted quality of another.

Less than five minutes after the game had started, the Three Lions’ captain delivered a massive blow to Shevchenko’s hopes of an unlikely Euro 2020 quarter-final upset.

At a similar stage of the second half, he obliterated them for good.

A natural-born goalscorer, Shevchenko could only watch on helplessly as his team tried, and failed, to stop Kane.

The Tottenham forward was only denied a hat-trick by a brilliant save from Georgiy Bushchan, who got his fingertips to an outrageous 20-yard volley, and by Gareth Southgate, who replaced him with Dominic Calvert-Lewin ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final with Denmark at Wembley Stadium.

After the destruction of Ukraine in Rome, England are now coming home, and it is Kane who is ready to put an end to the 55-year wait for a major senior trophy. 

If Southgate’s side were to have any chance of success at Euro 2020, it always seemed unlikely they would be able to achieve it without the help of Kane.

But less than a fortnight ago, people were beginning to question the striker after a lacklustre start to the tournament.

Injuries, fatigue, speculation over a summer move to Manchester City – all were blamed for an underwhelming impression in three mediocre group-stage performances at Wembley.

As an AC Milan goalscoring legend, Shevchenko knows himself that strikers go through difficult spells, but the elite always get back to doing what they do best.

Southgate never doubted that Kane would come good, and his unwavering backing has been rewarded.

After failing to hit the net in his opening three games, Kane now has three in his last two matches; who would bet against him overtaking Cristiano Ronaldo and Patrik Schick on five goals and claiming another Golden Boot?

Only trailing Gary Lineker by a single goal on the all-time list of goals by an England player at tournaments, Kane now has nine goals in finals, underlining why he is the man for the big occasion.

The blanks he drew in those opening matches against Croatia, Scotland and the Czech Republic will have weighed heavy on the shoulders of a player who thrives on leading his country.

That was all lifted by the crucial late goal in the 2-0, last-16 victory over Germany, when a bitter rival was beaten and an ineffectual start to the tournament could be forgotten.

And against Ukraine, Kane was back to his supreme best – ruthless with his finishing, lively with his running, hungry for the ball, dropping deep, picking off long passes and inspiring all around him.

With Raheem Sterling again driving at opponents from wide and central positions, and Luke Shaw delivering accurate crosses, England are looking increasingly menacing.

For periods of the second half, they were virtually unstoppable. Referee Felix Brych called off the contest on behalf of a shattered Ukraine by ending the game as soon as he could – barely seconds after the clock ticked past the 90 minutes.

Confidence is suddenly seeping through England. Behind the forwards is an ease and control that is consistently shutting down any threats from opponents.

More than 450 minutes into the tournament, England are yet to concede a goal, with John Stones and Harry Maguire forming a solid partnership in the centre of defence shielded by the guile of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips.

The only times they have looked like conceding were from unforced errors; Kyle Walker and Jordan Pickford were sloppy once each against Ukraine.

As England are clicking into gear and scoring more goals, Southgate is still facing a selection dilemma.

The England boss has so far rotated his third forward alongside Kane and Sterling, and no one seems certain of taking the spot. Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford have all taken on the role in the tournament so far, and against Ukraine it was Jadon Sancho’s turn.

Coming in from the cold, the new Manchester United man sparkled in moments with his brilliant individual skill, but it was not quite the standout performance he might have hoped for.

Each of Southgate’s options offer something different, though, and the manager has shown the flexibility to manoeuvre his side to suit their opponents.

It seems odd to be heading into the semis without a settled side, but it might suit the England coach to have all his players ready to step in.

Kane, on the other hand, is simply untouchable and is determined to make the most of this huge opportunity as England return to Wembley.

“It’s there for us. It’s an opportunity for us and we have to grab it with both hands,” he said. “We have to enjoy being in that environment.

“Coming off the back of the Germany game, the spirits were high and the stadium was rocking, so hopefully we can use that energy again and really take the game to Denmark.”

The striker has 180 minutes left to make himself one of England’s greatest of all time, and he is hitting form just at just the right time to do so.