Harry Kane misses crucial PK as England is bounced by France
AL KHOR, Qatar – Harry Kane was the latest England player to feel penalty heartbreak as the Three Lions endured a cruel World Cup quarterfinal exit, losing 2-1 to defending champion France on Saturday.
Kane, outstanding throughout the match and the tournament until that moment, blasted his effort from the spot high of Hugo Lloris' goal when given the chance to equalize for a second time after 84 minutes.
In an enthralling encounter, France went ahead through Aurélien Tchouaméni in the first half, only to see Kane level things with a penalty just after the interval.
An Olivier Giroud header gave Les Blues the advantage once more, before Kane, normally so assured and having earlier equaled England's all-time scoring record, seemed set to send things head for extra-time.
Instead, when matched up against his Tottenham teammate Lloris, he opted for power, and pulled his jersey over his face as the ball sailed off into the Al Bayt Stadium stands.
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England dominated large portions of the game and did not cease its attacking intent after drawing level, but its brave effort was undone by not just the Kane miss – but a couple of unavoidable realities.
That it's not just a matter of stopping Kylian Mbappe, it's that France has attacking danger oozing from every pore.
Tchouameni collected the ball from Antoine Griezmann no less than 25 yards from goal and drilled a fierce low strike that was so perfectly placed that goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had no chance.
It takes a lot to fight back against a proven winner, at a familiar stage of the tournament, when they've secured a lead. England, which reached the last four in 2018 and lost on penalties in the European Championship final, had the presence to do it, behind the tactical game plan of head coach Gareth Southgate.
Kane, Luke Shaw and Jude Bellingham had all had chances on target saved by Lloris by the time Bukayo Saka was chopped down in the penalty area and referee Wilton Sampaio pointed to the spot after half-time.
Kane stepped up, captain, leader, marksman, and whipped it past Lloris to level the scores.
If there was a regret from the Euros final against Italy, it was that England did not keep pushing when it had momentum. Not so here. But France is lethal on the break and Griezmann's perfect cross found Giroud in position to reclaim the lead after 78 minutes.
English heads didn't drop – an attitude rewarded soon after when Theo Hernandez bumped over Mason Mount in the box and a VAR review led to a clear penalty. This time, for Kane, and for England, it was not to be.
And so on march the French, who will be a huge favorite in their semifinal against Morocco on Wednesday (2 p.m. on FOX and the FOX Sports app) and will love their chances of becoming the men's tournament's first repeat victor since 1962, following on from a triumphant 2018 campaign in Russia.
For England, this enterprising group showed spirit and energy and no shortage of professionalism. In the end, though, it was not enough to prevent the writing of a painful new chapter in an ongoing tale of national disappointment.
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Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.