Wayne Rooney sent a touching message to England captain Harry Kane after his penalty miss against France condemned the Three Lions to World Cup heartbreak.
The Tottenham forward was both hero and villain in the Three Lions’ World Cup quarter-final defeat to Didier Deschamps’ men. He first stayed cool to haul England level just after the break after Bukayo Saka had been fouled. That effort - the 53rd of his international career - saw him draw level with Rooney at the top of the Three Lions’ goalscoring charts.
Kane then had the chance to claim the title outright after Olivier Giroud had restored Les Bleus’ lead when England were handed another opportunity from the penalty spot. This time though, Kane could not convert as he blazed his second spot-kick high over Lloris’ crossbar.
Taking to Twitter just minutes after the final whistle, Rooney sent a morale-boosting message to both Kane and the England squad as a whole. He wrote: “Absolutely gutted for the lads but proud of the way they’ve played this tournament and they should be proud.
“Congratulations to Harry Kane 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.”
Rooney wasn’t the only former England star to have given their thoughts on the match following the gutting defeat at the hands of the reigning champions. World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst - the scorer of a hat-trick in the Three Lions’ successful 1966 final against Germany - also sent a message to Gareth Southgate ’s troops.
He wrote: “Proud of every single player and the way they have played. Sometimes the heart just doesn’t get what it wants on the night.”
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Having found a way past England in the end, France now go on to book a place in the semi-final against Morocco. Deschamps’ men have the chance to become the first nation to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962.
Kane will be left reflecting on a huge missed opportunity for him and his teammates and will now return to Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the Premier League roaring back into action on Boxing Day. The striker will be aiming to continue his hot form this season having netted 12 goals in just 15 Premier League goals ahead of the World Cup break.
England colleague Jordan Henderson leapt to his defence following the full-time whistle against France. Speaking to ITV, the Liverpool captain said: “I don’t know how many penalties he has scored for us.
“Scored the first one, how many goal he’s contributed for us to get here so he’ll be stronger in the long run. He’s a world class striker, our captain, we wouldn’t be here without him.”
