England’s captain Harry Kane was absolutely gutted after he missed the second penalty in the high-octane clash against France in the quarterfinal of the FIFA World Cup. Kane converted the first penalty from the spot kick after Bukayo Saka earned the same in the 54th minute.
That goal also helped Kane go level with Wayne Rooney’s record of most goals (53) for the Three Lions. However, Olivier Giroud, who also is France’s leading goal-scorer at the International level, helped Les Bleus once again take the lead in the 78th minute.
But there was more twist in the tale as substitute Mason Mount was brought down by Theo Hernandez in the 82nd minute, to give England their second penalty of the night and a big chance to level the scores. However, Kane could not hit the target as the ball flew over the crossbar to end England’s hopes of going all the way in the marquee event.
Kane admitted this penalty miss will torture for the next few days but feels his preparation was up to the mark.
“I’m not someone who thinks too much about it; I prepare the same whether I get one penalty or two penalties in a game,” Kane said about facing his Tottenham Hotspur teammate Hugo Lloris from the spot for the second time.
“I can’t fault my preparation or the detail before the game; it didn’t feel any different. I felt confident taking it but didn’t execute it the way I wanted to.” “Of course, it’s something I will have to live with and take on the chin,” he added.
“But all we can do is be proud of each other and know that the team is in a really good place for the future.”
On the other hand, Gareth Southgate backed Harry Kane after the penalty miss.
“As you’d expect, he’s very, very low, but he has nothing to reproach himself for,” Southgate said of Kane. “We’re in a position we are as a team because of his leadership and goals.”
England was dominant after conceding the first goal against France but the reigning champions were able to hold their nerves when it mattered the most.
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