Honoured before kick-off after his Ballon d'Or crowning, the Bayern Munich striker struck the winner from the penalty spot. The goal keeps the Three Lions' hopes alive of topping the group, provided they beat Spain in Sunday's final round at the Metropolitano.
Kane faced the media after the Croatia clash and fired a defiant warning towards Luis de la Fuente's Spain, who kept pace by beating the Czech Republic 2-0.
Newspaper Sport ran the England captain's comments. "Of course, our aim is to finish the group at the top," he said.
"After the first match, when we lost to them here, we knew we were capable of putting in a much better performance," he continued. "We told ourselves: we will win all the matches up to the next clash, and then we will see what happens. And now, on Sunday, we have the perfect opportunity to prove what we are capable of achieving."
Gratitude for the pre-match honour came next. "The reception at the start of the match was a wonderful and amazing gesture," he said. "And once the ball starts rolling, the most important thing becomes securing the win and taking the three points."
Related Topics
"We faced a strong team that wanted to prove its abilities in tonight's match," he noted. "I think we put in a good performance for a large part of the match. We felt some fatigue in the final minutes, but overall it was a wonderful victory that gives us a chance to play a big match on Sunday."
Asked how he felt stepping up for the spot kick, Kane said: "It was as it always is. I missed the last penalty with Bayern Munich, and so I think it is always important to try to make up for it in the next attempt."
"I try not to miss two penalty kicks in a row, and to take the kick well," he stressed. "I trained yesterday as usual, and now it is just about going out onto the pitch and putting in a good performance."
The England striker closed with a quick read of the game. "I think we lost the ball too easily, especially in our half, which slowed the tempo of the match a little," he said.
"We had a good set of chances to score two or three goals, but we faced a good team," he added. "We are currently going through a run of difficult matches with our clubs and national teams, and so we cannot always expect everything to go perfectly."
"Of course, we know we are capable of improving in some aspects, and we will have to do so if we want to win on Sunday," he added. "But in the end, the most important thing is that we achieved the victory tonight."
Spain lead Group Three with a perfect 15 points, three clear of second-placed England.
