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Harry Kane didn’t have the ‘mental capability’ to overcome the pressure during his second penalty in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals, according to pundit Simon Jordan.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Jordan says Kane’s job is to put the ball in the back of the net, with the striker getting paid £300,000 a week to do exactly that.
England captain Kane missed from the spot late on in his nation’s quarter-final loss to France on Saturday, having scored a penalty earlier in the match.
He slotted the ball home confidently early in the second half after Aurélien Tchouaméni opened the scoring in the 17th minute.
Kane stepped up from the spot against his Tottenham Hotspur colleague Hugo Lloris in the 54th minute, and levelled the scores with an emphatic finish.
But when given the chance to repeat his efforts in the 84th minute, the England captain skied his effort over the bar.
Kane ‘should have buried the ball in the back of the net’
The Three Lions striker has received plenty of criticism and defence for the miss, and it is the former that Jordan has very much focused on.
“Harry Kane missed a penalty and you have to try and evaluate why that would happen,” said Jordan. “He’s a big game player, people miss penalties. My first reaction was, pressure. Pressure got to him on Saturday.
‘People around me, they’re a little bit less circumspect about what footballers should and shouldn’t do. These guys get £300,000 a week, their job is to put the ball in the back of the net. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
“And I do think that Harry Kane should have buried the ball in the back of the net, and taken the goalkeeper with him!”
Kane ‘bottled it’ under pressure
Jordan continued his tirade by explaining that the striker crumbled under the pressure of the moment.
The penalty came when England were losing 2-1, with former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud having put the French ahead in the 78th minute.
The pundit did admit that there was ‘immense’ pressure on Kane’s shoulders, but that the England skipper is on the pitch to be able to overcome such pressure.
When it was suggested that Kane didn’t actually bottle his penalty, Jordan replied: “Oh, I think he did. I think he overthought it. He missed a penalty.
“He took a great penalty first time round, but he’s going into the second penalty, he’s now aware again that he’s facing Hugo Lloris.
“We talk about the pressure – the goal will shrink to the size of a pea. This is what the big boys do. In that moment, cometh the hour, cometh the man, as I’ve said repeatedly.
“And Harry Kane didn’t have the mental capability of overcoming the moment of pressure. It was immense pressure, but that’s what he’s there for.”
The loss saw England head home from the competition disappointed yet upbeat for what the future holds, with France now taking on Morocco in the semi-final on Wednesday. Argentina and Croatia meet in the other semi-final later today.
Absolutely gutted. 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. pic.twitter.com/lw5Esl4fnA
— Harry Kane (@HKane) December 11, 2022
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