Harry Kane equalled Wayne Rooney’s England goalscoring record after netting his 53rd goal for his country but ended the World Cup quarter-final against France distraught after his costly late penalty miss.
The England skipper, earning his 80th cap, smashed home his first spot-kick to make it 1-1 after Bukayo Saka was brought down in the area.
But, with Gareth Southgate’s side trailing 2-1, he then missed the chance to break the record by blasting a second penalty over the crossbar in the 84th minute as England bowed out of the competition.
Level on 53 goals for the #ThreeLions!@HKane ? @WayneRooney pic.twitter.com/GErwW5kmMz
— England (@England) December 10, 2022
Kane admitted the miss and defeat would hurt him.
The England captain told ITV: “I can’t fault my preparation or any details. It was just the execution on the night. The first (penalty) was great and the second one, I just didn’t quite hit it how I wanted to.
“That is something I am going to have to take on the chin. It will hurt for sure, and the whole game will hurt.
“We had full belief in what we were trying to achieve and, as the captain, I will take that, but I couldn’t be prouder of the boys.”
He said: “A World Cup is every four years. It is a long time to wait. I am proud of the boys. We had a great camp, a great World Cup and it’s come down to small details which I’ll take responsibility for.
“I am not worried about the team and how it is going to affect them. We’ve got some great talent.
“It’ll hurt, not just for me but everyone involved, but that’s football, that’s sport. You have to take that on the chin sometimes and move forward.”
Rooney was among those to offer his support to the Tottenham striker.
Absolutely gutted for the lads but proud of the way they’ve played this tournament and they should be proud. Congratulations to @HKane on equalling the record, he’ll be on his own soon and couldn’t think of anyone better to take over. Keep your head up Harry ????????? @England
— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) December 10, 2022
He said on Twitter: “Absolutely gutted for the lads but proud of the way they’ve played this tournament and they should be proud. Congratulations to @HKane on equalling the record, he’ll be on his own soon and couldn’t think of anyone better to take over. Keep your head up Harry.”
Southgate said: “For me, we win and lose as a team. We have let a couple of goals in and missed a few chances.
“He has been incredible for us and is so reliable for us in those situations. We wouldn’t be here but for the number of goals he has scored for us.”
England midfielder Jordan Henderson added: “We know how many penalties Harry has scored, how many goals he has contributed for us to get us here. He scored the first one.
“He will be stronger for it in the long run, I’m sure. He’s a world-class striker, our captain, and we wouldn’t be here without him.”
Spurs tweeted: “Head up Harry, we’re so proud of you.”
The 29-year-old won the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup, where his six goals helped England to the semi-final.
He then went on to score in each of the knockout games at Euro 2020, captaining Southgate’s side in the final as they lost on penalties to Italy.
Kane grabbed his first goal of the 2022 finals in the 3-0 win over Senegal in the last-16 and went on to match Rooney’s haul at Al Bayt Stadium before heartbreak struck.
