"It was justice" - France star makes bold claims after Harry Kane's missed penalty during 2022 FIFA World Cup QF win over England
France star Adrien Rabiot has expressed his opinion on Harry Kane's penalty miss during his team's 2-1 2022 FIFA World Cup win over England in their heavyweight quarter-final clash.
Les Bleus advanced to the last four of the quadrennial tournament with an edge-of-the-seat knockout victory over Gareth Southgate's side at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al-Khor on Saturday (10 December).
Aurelien Tchouameni opened the scoring in the 17th minute before Kane equalized from the spot nine minutes after the break. Olivier Giroud restored his team's lead in the 78th minute with a near-post header. However, Kane garnered headlines six minutes later with a penalty miss after Mason Mount was fouled inside the box by Theo Hernandez.
A valiant effort and performance, @England 🦁👏 https://t.co/qghsuyHhKY
Speaking at a post-match press conference, Rabiot asserted that England were fortunate to be handed a penalty kick. He said:
"First of all, I'm not sure that it's really a foul. We've seen hundreds of actions like that that aren't given. I thought the refereeing was a bit borderline at times tonight, but we won't linger on that."
Claiming Kane's miss to be an act of justice, Rabiot added:
"Of course, when he missed, we were happy, it was justice because there was no penalty. But sometimes you also need that bit of luck, of success. We had it tonight, everything came together. We are really proud to reach the semi-final in this way."
France are next scheduled to take on Morocco in their 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-final clash on Wednesday (14 December). Sharing his thoughts on the upcoming fixture, the Juventus midfielder said:
"It will be a historic match. We are aware that if they are here, it's because they have deserved it. We've watched the games, they have very good players. They also know how to suffer, how to take it on themselves. We won't underestimate anyone, just as we have done up to now. And the important thing is also to recover well."
France superstar Kylian Mbappe bursts into laughter after England's crucial penalty miss during 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final
France forward Kylian Mbappe was seen bursting into laughter after Harry Kane missed a vital penalty for England against Les Bleus in their 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match on Saturday.
Kylian Mbappé's reaction after Harry Kane's penalty miss! 🇫🇷 https://t.co/z8AfuMOpaH
Despite not scoring against England, Mbappe produced a fine performance on the left flank. He registered one shot, completed 24 passes and two dribbles, created one chance and won four ground duels.
Mbappe is currently the Golden Boot leader with five goals from five 2022 FIFA World Cup appearances. Argentina captain Lionel Messi and France striker Olivier Giroud are joint-second with four goals.