🚨 Harry Kane on his conversation with Jude Bellingham after his penalty miss against Spain:
🎙️ Reporter: “Harry, what happened with the penalty? And what did Jude Bellingham say to you immediately afterwards?”
🗣️ Harry Kane: “Just as I was about to take the penalty, I felt a little sprain in my knee and, as I stepped forward, I actually stood on my shoelace.
“It sounds strange saying it now, but it affected my balance. I didn’t connect with the ball the way I wanted to, and I ended up going down.
“Obviously, the moment it happened, I knew I hadn’t taken it properly.
“I looked up and Jude was already coming towards me.
“He said, ‘Harry, what was that?’
“I said, ‘I stood on my shoelace.’
“He looked at me for a second and said, ‘Well, maybe now you’ve missed one, I can take the next one.’
“I smiled because that’s Jude. He’s always confident.
“I told him, ‘You know I’m still taking the next one.’
“He laughed and said, ‘You did miss, my friend. I’m taking the next one.’
“That’s just the relationship we have. There’s banter, but underneath it, he was trying to lift me straight away.
“But honestly, there’s no excuse.
“I should have scored.
“Whether I stood on my shoelace, whether my knee felt uncomfortable, whatever it was, I’m the one who stepped up to take the penalty.
“And against Spain, you have to take those moments.
“They’re the type of team where you might only get a few clear opportunities, and when they come, you have to make them count.
“I didn’t make that one count tonight.
“And maybe if I score, the game is different. Maybe we win. Maybe the whole conversation after the match is completely different.
“But that’s football.
“You don’t get to go back and take the penalty again because you don’t like what happened.
“You have to accept it.
“I’ll take responsibility for it.
“The boys gave everything. We created chances, we fought until the end, and I had an opportunity to help the team.
“I didn’t.
“That’s probably the hardest part for me because I’ve taken a lot of penalties in my career, and I expect myself to score those.
“Jude was joking with me immediately afterwards, but that’s also what you need in those moments.
“You don’t need everyone looking at you like you’ve just destroyed the game.
“You need someone to say, ‘Forget it. Next one.’
“And that’s what Jude did.
“But ultimately, the responsibility is mine.
“Against a team like Spain, one missed opportunity can be the difference between winning and losing.
“And tonight, I had my chance, I missed it, and I have to own that.”