December 10, (THEWILL) – France defeated England 2-1 to advance to the World Cup semifinals on the back of a crucial and uncharacteristic late penalty miss from England captain Harry Kane.
With his first penalty kick in the 54th minute, Kane levelled the scores for England, who were behind through Aurelien Tchouameni’s goal in the 17th minute, which brought the Tottenham Hotspur striker level with Wayne Rooney for overall goals scored for England.
However, he was unable to duplicate the feat with seven minutes left, with England again trailing France. Theo Hernandez was adjudged to have blatantly shoved Mason Mount in the area and after reviewing the incident on the pitch-side monitor, the referee awarded England a second penalty.
It was just the kind of chance Kane was made for and, just like the first one, the England captain went for power, hitting it to his right. But, this time, he put too much into it and scorched the ball high over the crossbar and into the stands as English fans let out a collective gasp.
It meant that Oliver Giroud’s header, which put France back in front between Kane’s penalty kicks, proved to be crucial as they proceeded to a match against Morocco in the round of 16 on Wednesday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
