Former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has said England captain Harry Kane was always going to take their second penalty in their defeat to France.
Kane brought his team level at 1-1 early in the second half, after Bukayo Saka was brought down in the area.
The Tottenham striker later has a chance to score a second equaliser from the penalty spot when Theo Hernandez barged Mason Mount to the ground, but he blazed his effort over the bar.
Back in 2018, Kane scored two penalties in the same World Cup game as England beat Panama. It didn’t look for a second as though the skipper would let someone else step up, and Wenger was not at all surprised by the decision.
“He is so important to England that the dynamics in the squad dictate that nobody at that point felt it was appropriate to offer to take the penalty instead,” Wenger told beIN Sport (via Metro ). Kane, meanwhile, has spoken out about the pivotal moment.
“Absolutely gutted,” Kane wrote onTwitter. “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.
“Now it’s about using the experience to be mentally and physically stronger for the next challenge. Thanks for all the support throughout the tournament – it means a lot.”