Gary Lineker insists Harry Kane has 'nothing to be ashamed of' after the Tottenham Hotspur and England striker apologised for missing the decisive penalty in last night's 2-1 defeat against France.
Kane had the chance to level the score at 2-2 and become England's all-time record goalscorer, but fired his second spot-kick of the night over the crossbar as the Three Lions were eliminated from the World Cup at the quarter-final stage. The Spurs man did beat club team-mate Hugo Lloris to cancel out Aurelien Tchouemani's opener, but failed at the second time of asking as Olivier Giroud's header sent the world champions through.
After a wobbly opening 45 minutes, England grew into the occasion and were the far better side after the break. Kane confidently fired home a penalty on 54 minutes and had a chance to draw his side level again after Mason Mount was fouled inside the box.
READ MORE: England player ratings as Harry Kane penalty miss sees Three Lions exit World Cup vs France
READ MORE: Former Premier League referee gives 'clear' verdict after England vs France VAR controversy
The 29-year-old went for power but saw his effort fly high and wide, with Didier Deschamps' side able to ride out the remaining 10 minutes with relative ease. Kane cut a disconsolate figure after the final whistle and when addressing the media after the result, and the England captain took to Twitter to apologise this morning.
Kane tweeted: "Absolutely gutted. We’ve given it everything and it’s come down to a small detail which I take responsibility for. There’s no hiding from it, it hurts and it’ll take some time to get over it but that’s part of sport."
Lineker, who suffered World Cup penalty heartbreak himself when England lost to West Germany in the 1990 semi-finals, sent a heartfelt message in response, tweeting: "You’ve nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing. Everybody misses a penalty sometimes. Well, they do if they have the courage to take them. Go well, Harry."
READ NEXT:
