Quote · The Rest Is Football
Kane to the rescue as England squeeze past DR Congo
Where this was said
Kane's Denied Penalty and VAR's Disastrous Day
At 10:17 · chapter starts 9:08
Gary Lineker highlights that England should have had a penalty — Harry Kane was clearly fouled by the DR Congo goalkeeper going through on goal — and that VAR had a terrible day with three poor decisions across the tournament's games. Joe Cole breaks it down precisely: the goalkeeper came off his line, was in no man's land, Kane knocked it past him and then simply slowed to wait, at which point the keeper's outstretched hand clipped him. Brad Friedel adds that the goalkeeper's mistake was reaching out first rather than pulling away — clipping Kane before withdrawing. Gary Lineker then articulates his broader theory: super slow-motion replays allow officials to read contact into any incident, and until that tool is banned from VAR review rooms the quality of decisions will remain inconsistently poor. [1] — Gary Lineker "Harry Kane was blatantly fouled by the DR Congo goalkeeper — a nailed-on penalty, per Joe Cole — and VAR somehow missed it. Gary Lineker sa…" 07:29
Micah Richards argued England have played only around 90 minutes of decent football across their four World Cup games, with the defence and midfield remaining disorganised.
Micah Richards isn't buying the positivity. England have played roughly 90 minutes of decent football across four games, the right-back situation is a self-inflicted wound, and a disorganised midfield is leaving a vulnerable backline totally exposed. Without improvement, the final is out of reach.
Jude Bellingham's 30th-minute header was England's first shot in the game against DR Congo — their longest wait for a first attempt on record in a FIFA World Cup match.
