Harry Kane penalty miss will haunt him every day for rest of his life, Alan Shearer says
Alan Shearer has said Harry Kane’s penalty miss in England’s World Cup quarter-final defeat will haunt him for the rest of his life.
In the 84th minute, with England losing 2-1 against France, captain Kane - who is one of the most reliable penalty takers in world football - stepped up but smashed the ball over the bar.
Kane, who in the 54th minute had actually scored England’s goal from the penalty spot, appeared inconsolable after the game and later said “it will hurt for a long time”.
Shearer, who like Kane is one of England’s greatest ever strikers and also captained the men's team, told BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday: “You put yourself in those positions and it will haunt Harry for the rest of his life.
“But that is what you have to put up with as a forward: you win some and you lose some.”
Post-match, there were some suggestions Kane shouldn’t have taken the second penalty, especially as France’s goalkeeper was Hugo Lloris, his team-mate at Tottenham Hotspur.
But in an article for The Athletic, Shearer also explained the mentality behind world-class strikers like Kane.
“Harry isn’t just the striker," Shearer said, "he’s the captain, the main man, England’s go-to guy, the person everyone looks to.
“As a centre-forward, that’s part of the deal. You always feel like you’ve let people down when you don’t score, just as you love and crave the big moments. You want the world looking at you when you’re under all that pressure. It’s what separates the very good from the average. Delivering is what defines you.
“When those episodes come along, you think ‘yes, give me the ball, let me put it on the spot’ because that’s who you are and when it doesn’t work out the way you want it, it hurts to the core.”
Read more: Gareth Southgate reveals message to England players after World Cup heartache
Kane, who by scoring the first penalty in the game had equalled Wayne Rooney’s goalscoring record of 53, said afterwards: “As captain, I take it on the chin and responsibility [for] missing the penalty."
He added: “I am someone who if I prepare, I prepare for whether I get one or two penalties. I can’t fault my preparation or detail in the lead-up. I felt as confident on the first as I did the second.
“It comes purely down to execution so I will take it on the chin and of course it hurts now, and it will hurt for a long time, but that’s part of being captain and a leader in the team."
