AL KHOR, Qatar (AP) — Late in the game and with the ball still on the penalty spot, Harry Kane was ready, focused, looking at the goal and his Tottenham teammate in front of it.
He started his run, kicked the ball and missed, badly.
The shot went well over the crossbar and went into the stands. French striker Kylian Mbappe celebrated emphatically, but Kane was far less encouraged. He covered his mouth with the front of his white England shirt, doing his best to ignore the wild scene unfolding around him as an immediate return to the World Cup. The semifinals escaped.
That penalty opportunity came in the 84th minute and with England trailing 2-1 against defending champions France. It was the chance to get even again, exactly 30 minutes after Kane scored from that same penalty spot to make it 1-1.
The match ended 2-1, with France back in the semi-finals and England out, the team’s earliest elimination from a major soccer tournament since Euro 2016.
“We know how many penalties Harry gave us, he scored the first, how many goals he has contributed to getting us here,” England midfielder Jordan Henderson said. “He will be stronger in the long run, I’m sure. He is a world class striker, our captain and as I say, we would not be here without him”.
Kane won the Golden Boot as top scorer at the 2018 World Cup, when England reached the semi-finals for their best performance in soccer’s biggest tournament since 1990. He scored four goals last year at Euro 2020, when England reached the final but lost to Italy. in a penalty shootout.
In Qatar, Kane started all five games and scored two goals. The first was against Senegal in the round of 16. The second on Saturday was Kane’s 53rd goal for England, bringing him level with Wayne Rooney for the most goals scored for the national team.
“He’s been amazing for us and he’s very reliable in those kinds of situations,” England manager Gareth Southgate said. “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the number of goals he has scored for us.”
Penalties against France pitted Tottenham striker Kane against Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
On the first attempt, Lloris misfired, diving to his left as the ball went into the opposite corner.
Unfortunately for Kane, it didn’t matter which way Lloris dived on the second try.
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