Harry Kane missed a penalty in the 83rd minute losing a chance to equalise for England at the Al Bayat Stadium. France won the match 2-1 and the 29-year-old striker’s key penalty miss proved to be a curse for the Three Lions they will now be going home but without the coveted trophy.
England have been cursed when it comes to penalties and the trend of the 2020 Euro Cup when they lost in penalties to Italy seemed to continue in the FIFA World Cup 2022 as well.
Also read: Did Harry Kane lose England FIFA World Cup 2022 quarter-final vs France? Striker misses key penalty
The first goal of the quarter-final match was scored by the French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. However, Harry Kane equalised from the spot after a foul on Bukayo Saka, stepping up just when his team needed him the most.
Olivier Giroud then gave France another lead in the 78th minute from a Griezzman cross which he headed home competing against Harry Maguire who was a yard behind the French striker.
The important moment of the second penalty came when Theo Hernandez fouled an English player in the box. Although the referee did not give a penalty, VAR intervened later and made sure Harry Kane got another chance from the spot to equalise.
He hit the shot above the crossbar, and even though Hugo Lloris jumped in the right direction, he did not have to save the shot.
France will not be facing Morocco in the semi-final with a chance to reach the final of the World Cup the second consecutive time.
They have already created a record by becoming the second team ever to reach the semi-final of FIFA World Cup for two back-to-back editions. Only Brazil, when the reached the semi-final in the France 1998 edition of the tournament, have done it before.
