The science behind Harry Kane's penalty kick during England vs Croatia

Harry Kane mid kick of a penalty vs Croatia.

Harry Kane shot England to technically a perfect start against Croatia in their Group L opener this evening.

The England bagsman fired his nation to a 1-0 lead at the 2026 World Cup, despite missing his initial attempt.

Kane's first spot kick was saved by Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, after an unusually tame attempt from the Englishman.

Harry Kane's penalty speed vs Croatia

Harry Kane's second penalty was a thing of beauty. (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Bayern Munich man has converted all but one of his spot kick attempts for the German champions since joining in 2023.

The sole penalty miss arrived after the Bundesliga side were confirmed top-flight champions... and after the opposition defender tampered with the penalty spot.

Scoring a penalty at the second time of asking is more difficult than many would assume. (Image credit: Richard Pelham/Getty Images))

Against Wolfsburg in early May, Kane failed to convert a 36th minute penalty, blazing his attempt off target.

In tonight's opener against Croatia, the England striker's initial failure gave way for a far more difficult follow-up than many realise.

While a spot kick is recorded as a chance worth roughly 0.79xG, a golden opportunity, that figure is believed to decrease when the same player takes a second penalty in the same game.

That is likely down to mental warfare, in the event of a miss or a goal at the first opportunity, the goalkeeper gets a read on his taker — regardless of the outcome — that he didn't have prior.

For Kane, that pressure created a remarkable ball speed that rendered his second attempt, and first goal of the game, virtually unsaveable.

Jude Bellingham settled early second half nerves for England, before Marcus Rashford sealed the victory later on. (Image credit: Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images))

According to Connected Ball Technology in the TRIONDA Official Match Ball, Kane’s penalty reached a whopping 121.9km/h.

The England bagsman converted again later, this time a header, to put his nation ahead for the second time in the game.

The Three Lions conceded once more, before goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford in the second half sealed victory for the national team in their Group L opener.