Uncalled for.
Sam Matterface was doing commentary on ITV when Harry Kane missed a penalty that would have drawn England level with France.
England went 1-0 down when Aurelien Tchouameni fired in a rocket of a goal from outside of the box, and although there were calls for a penalty when Kane looked to have been fouled just on the line of the box, France kept their lead until half time.
In the second half, England did get their penalty when Bukayo Saka was brought down, and the England skipper fired home against his Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris to make it all square.
Antoine Griezmann stepped up to deliver for France next, and deliver he did, as he crossed in a wonderful ball for Oliver Giroud to head in.
Not long afterwards, Three Lions substitute Mason Mount was shoulder barged in the back while in the opposition penalty box, and after a VAR check, England got their second penalty.
Kane stepped up again, but to the disbelief of everyone, he skied the ball over the bar, and thus missed his country’s best chance to get back into the game.
A late Marcus Rashford free kick was the only clear-cut opportunity they had following the missed penalty, and the game finished 2-1.
ITV’s Sam Matterface was tasked with the job of commentating on the match, and when it came to summing up Kane’s penalty miss, he could not have been more tasteless about it.
“We needed Gary Lineker, we got Chris Waddle.”
Not only is this comment disrespectful, but it isn’t even entirely accurate, and surely when a nation is watching their hero miss from the spot kick, the last thing they wanted to hear was a lazy remark which also throws a former player under the ITV bus.
Chris Waddle famously missed his penalty in the 1990 World Cup shootout against Germany and was forever marred by this mistake by the press and fans alike.
Lineker was of course one of England’s top goal-scorers and a regular penalty-taker, but even he wasn’t perfect when it came to the art of dead balls.
Absolutely gutted for the lads but proud of the way they’ve played this tournament and they should be proud. Congratulations to @HKane on equalling the record, he’ll be on his own soon and couldn’t think of anyone better to take over. Keep your head up Harry 💪🏼🏴 @England
— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) December 10, 2022
The Match of the Day presenter missed a crucial penalty against Brazil that would have seen him equal Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time goal scoring record for his country.
Ironically, Kane’s converted penalty did do just that, bringing him level with Wayne Rooney’s record of 53 goals at international level.
Related links:
- Roy Keane’s off-air comment about Harry Kane penalty miss was tough but true
- Didi Hamann makes valuable point as England fans fume at refereeing decisions
- “We will qualify, one million percent” Paul Merson pins England’s hopes on one player
