Harry Kane takes penalty miss 'on the chin' after England exit World Cup to France

Captain scored his first spot kick but blazed his second over the bar in the quarter-final defeat in Qatar

Harry Kane admitted England's World Cup quarter-final defeat to France is 'really tough to take'. Getty

England captain Harry Kane said he was “gutted” by his penalty miss that proved crucial in his side exiting the World Cup on Saturday.

Kane had already converted a spot-kick in the quarter-final against France, drawing England level at 1-1 before Olivier Giroud put the world champions back in front. The goal saw Kane move alongside Wayne Rooney as England’s all-time leading scorer, with 53.

However, the striker had a golden opportunity to make it 2-2 in the 84th minute, but blazed his penalty high over the bar. England, semi-finalists in 2018, were left to rue more penalty heartache at a World Cup.

"As the captain, I'll take that on the chin and that responsibility, missing the penalty, so it's hard," said Kane, who could be seen afterwards tearfully applauding the England supporters at Al Bayt Stadium.

"Really tough night to take. I'm gutted, the team are gutted. We had the belief that we could achieve something special at this World Cup, but it came down to small details.

"On the night we had the better chances, the better spells in the game, but it comes down to the execution."

Kane, who has now scored four penalties at World Cups – not including shootouts – dating back to Russia 2018, is typically reliable from 12 yards. In his career, he has converted 58 spot-kicks, missing 11.

On Saturday, he was directly up against Tottenham Hotspur teammate Hugo Lloris, the France goalkeeper and captain.

"I'm not someone who thinks too much about it; I prepare the same whether I get one penalty or two penalties in a game," Kane said. "I can't fault my preparation or the detail before the game - it didn't feel any different. I felt confident taking it, but didn't execute it the way I wanted to.

"Of course, it's something I will have to live with. But all we can do is be proud of each other and know that the team is in a really good place for the future."

England v France player ratings

Meanwhile, England manager Gareth Southgate said he would take time to evaluate his future with the national team. The former international defender has been in charge since 2016, guiding England to the final four in Russia and then runners-up at last year’s rescheduled Euro 2020.

"We love having Gareth as a manager," Kane said. "We want him to stay for sure, but that’s his decision. I am sure he will go away and think about that. He will talk to his family and friends and make that decision.

“He hasn’t spoken about it; I haven’t spoken to him about it. Like I said, now we are hurting and rightly so.

“We’ve got a great team, great young players, players coming into their prime, and we’ve got a Euros not too far away [summer 2024]. As much as this hurts, we have to move on and look forward to that.”