Harry Kane has spoken out after his heartbreaking penalty miss saw England knocked out of the World Cup by France.
Kane got England level with his 53rd international goal, converting a penalty after Aurelien Tchouameni had given the reigning world champions a first half lead. However, he blazed a second attempt from the spot over the bar after Olivier Giroud had given France the lead for a second time.
The miss from 12 yards in the 85th minute proved costly as England were unable to find an equaliser and saw their World Cup dreams come to a heartbreaking end in Qatar. Kane cut a desolate figure amongst his devastated teammates at full-time but fronted up and spoke to the media in the aftermath of one of the toughest moments of his career.
The England captain told ITV Sport: “On the night we were probably the team that created the better chances. We had good spells in the game, but as you know, big games come down to fine details and margins, and they got theirs right and we didn’t.”
Kane batted away suggestions that his earlier penalty - smashed past Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris into the top corner - had played a part in his second effort being blazed over the crossbar.
Explaining what happened, he said: “No, I’m always someone who prepares for, if I get one penalty in a game, two penalties, I always have an idea of what I want to do. I can’t fault my preparation or anything like that.
"It was just the execution on the night. The first one was great and the second one, I just didn’t quite hit it how I wanted to.
“That’s just something I’ll take on the chin. It will hurt for sure, the whole game will hurt, we had full belief in what we wanted to achieve. As captain, I couldn’t be more proud of the boys.”
On his personal disappointment, Kane continued: “A World Cup is every four years, it’s not like we have another opportunity next year. “It’s a long time to wait, but as I say, I’m proud of the boys. We had a great camp, a great World Cup but it came down to a small detail - one I’ll take responsibility for.
“I’m not worried about the team and how it will affect them. I know we’ve got some great talent. “I’m sure it will hurt, not just for me but for everyone involved. But that’s football, that’s sport, you have to take it on the chin sometimes.”
Asked about Gareth Southgate’s future and the possibility of him walking away, Kane insisted he wants the Three Lions boss to stay in place. He said: “That’s down to him. We’ve loved having him as a manager, I think he’s been incredible. You see where he’s taken us from, it’s an amazing leap and I think we all hope he says.”
Southgate and Kane's teammates rallied around him after his miss. Southgate said: “For me, we win and lose as a team. We conceded two goals and missed a few chances.
“He’s been incredible for us, so reliable in those situations. We wouldn’t be here but for the number of goals he’s scored for us.”
Jordan Henderson added: “I don’t know how many penalties he’s scored for us. He scored the first one and how many goals has he contributed for us to get here?
“He’ll be stronger in the long run. He’s a world-class striker, our captain and we wouldn’t be here without him.”
