Juju vs Kane 1-0: Cursed or just human after all

Harry Kane has faced some of the world's finest defenders throughout his career. On Tuesday night in Boston, however, some Ghanaian fans were convinced he was up against something altogether different.

The England captain's astonishing late miss in a tense World Cup clash with Ghana has sparked fresh debate around one of the tournament's strangest subplots: a self-proclaimed witch doctor who claimed he had cursed the Bayern Munich striker before kick-off.

How can Ghana stop Harry Kane? A witch doctor offers help

For much of the evening, Kane cut a frustrated figure as Ghana's disciplined defence held England at bay. Yet the decisive moment arrived deep in the second half when victory seemed inevitable.

Nico O'Reilly's powerful header crashed against the crossbar before dropping invitingly into Kane's path just six yards from goal. The England captain needed only to apply the finishing touch. Instead, he somehow lifted the ball over the bar.

The miss left England supporters stunned, denied Thomas Tuchel's side a winning goal and prevented Kane from surpassing Gary Lineker's World Cup scoring record for England.

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As soon as the final whistle blew on the goalless draw, attention shifted to a man who never kicked a ball.

Before the match, Ghanaian spiritualist Nana Kwaku Bonsam had reportedly claimed he would use his powers to stop Kane from finding the net. Following the striker's astonishing miss, social media exploded with jokes, memes and tongue-in-cheek celebrations from Ghanaian supporters who were quick to credit their country's most famous witch doctor.

Of course, there is no evidence whatsoever that supernatural forces had anything to do with Kane's wayward finish. The striker himself offered a far simpler explanation.

"You go through games like that," Kane admitted afterwards. "I was just there waiting for an opportunity like that to fall my way. The ball bounced, but I couldn't quite get over it. I'd back myself to score that more often than not."

It was a refreshingly honest assessment from a player who has spent more than a decade making goalscoring look routine.

Yet the story took another bizarre turn after the match.

Having apparently succeeded in his mission, Bonsam released a video on social media announcing that he was now prepared to "release" Kane from the curse.

The Ghanaian spiritualist claimed England's captain would be free to score again later in the tournament and even expressed his admiration for the striker, describing him as a "brother" and saying he hoped to meet him one day.

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Whether viewed as football folklore, harmless superstition or simply one of the World Cup's more eccentric side stories, the episode has added another memorable chapter to the tournament.

As for Kane, he will have only one thing on his mind heading into England's final group game against Panama: proving that no curse is powerful enough to keep a world-class goalscorer quiet for long.

WORLD CUP - GROUP STAGE (ROUND 3)

Group L

Sunday

00.00: (1.85) Croatia (3.50) Ghana (4.40)

00.00: (14.0) Panama (6.75) England (1.20)

***odds are subject to change***