Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterEngland's 2026 World Cup opener began with an early opportunity for Croatia, as Josip Sutalo struck an acrobatic volley over the bar from a corner.Harry Kane won England a corner of their own with the Three Lions' first shot attempt controlling a bouncing ball on the spin before a deflection sent it wide.From that corner, Luka Modric gave away a penalty in the scuffle, with Kane, who scored all but one of his spot kick attempts for Bayern Munich since joining in 2023, missing his first attempt.Why was Harry Kane's penalty taken again?Despite the initial belief that it was Croatian goalkeeper, Dominik Livakovic, who prompted the re-take, that wasn't fully the case.Livakovic saved Kane's penalty, an unusually poor effort placed to the Croatian's left, and was believed to have left his line early. You may like England 2-2 Croatia LIVE: Kane strikes twice, Croatia equalise twice! Match updates Harry Kane is wearing a special sleeve patch for England vs Croatia, here's why How to watch England vs Croatia for FREE at World Cup 2026 This was due to Kane's stuttering run-up, a common tactic employed by spot kick takers to see where the goalkeeper is moving to.Despite this, Livakovic kept a foot planted on the line, making his 'movement' dubious.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.All doubts over whether the penalty needed to be re-taken, however, were dispelled by an encroaching Croatia defender.After Livakovic's save, his Croatian team-mates surged into the box and cleared the loose ball for a corner.Upon replays, it was clear that Josko Gvardiol had reached the ball only because of his box encroachment, constituting an offence. What to read next Harry Kane will be spurred on by his penalty miss in Qatar. Hes almost unshakeable in his mentality Stuart Peace and Chris Waddle on what it takes to come back from spot-kick misery How to watch Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham at the 2026 FIFA World Cup England vs Croatia prediction, as Three Lions look for World Cup revenge Harry Kane converts the penalty for England! The skipper scores from the spot after a retake for encroachment pic.twitter.com/Pd6ayH6EvRJune 17, 2026The final decision was attributed to both offences Livakovic being off his line for the save and encroachment from the defender.As a result, the Bayern Munich striker stepped up and did what he so often does best: scored the penalty, cheekily placing it in the same spot that Livrakovic had saved the ball from last time out.England are no strangers to starting World Cup tournaments strongly at the last two editions, and neither is Harry Kane.The Three Lions prevailed 6-2 over Iran in 2022, with Kane recording two assists, and won 2-1 against Tunisia in 2018, with the 32-year-old bagging a brace.TOPICSHarry KaneEnglandCroatiaKedar BayleySocial Links NavigationFreelance WriterKedar Bayley is a trained journalist specialising in culture reporting. As a fan of Liverpool FC,he writes on the Reds often. Knowledgable about all things sports, cinema and television,you can find his words in Screen International, FourFourTwo, Manchester Evening News and more.
