Harry Kane received a major reprieve in England’s opening game of the World Cup as VAR intervened to order a retake.
Kane saw his penalty saved by Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, but referee Clement Turpin paused the game to announce that the kick would be taken again.
Replays showed Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol encroach inside the area before Kane had struck the penalty, and it was Gvardiol who made first contact with the ball after Livakovic’s save. Defenders encroaching on a penalty is pointless endeavour in the modern game, because if they touch the ball, VAR will always intervene and order a retake.
Replays also appeared to show Livakovic was slightly off his line when the penalty was taken – another reason for officials to order a retaken spot-kick.
Kane stepped up once more and dispatched the penalty at the second attempt, this time doing away with the stutter and striking the ball confidently to the same side where Livakovic had made the initial save.
Kane would have been relieved after his last World Cup game, against France four years ago in Qatar, was clouded by a crucial penalty miss, and England exited at the quarter-final stage.
The Bayern Munich striker scored 10 penalties in the Bundesliga this season, mixing between his stutter run-up and his straightforward run-and-shoot technique, as he struck 36 goals in total.
