France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris sent a text message to England striker Harry Kane after his Tottenham Hotspur teammate blazed a late penalty over the crossbar in his side’s 2-1 World Cup quarterfinal defeat on Saturday.
Kane’s late miss proved decisive in a game that sent England crashing out of the World Cup, but Lloris, who has been Kane’s teammate in north London for the best part of a decade, was quick to reach out to the striker who was crestfallen at the final whistle.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
“It’s a difficult time for the England national team and Harry,” Lloris told reporters on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s semifinal against Morocco.
“I don’t need to go too much further. We had a text [exchange] after the game. It was not easy to find the words. He needed some time to rest.
“But I think he can be proud of what he has done for the national team.”
Lloris and Kane will be back in action for Spurs against Brentford on Dec. 26 when the Premier League swings back into action after its winter break for the World Cup.
Lloris believes Kane — England’s joint-record scorer and who is closing in on Jimmy Greaves’ all-time Spurs goal record — will shrug off the miss and get back to hitting the back of the net for club and country.
“In football history, many top players have missed penalties in their career — Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo — but I have no doubt Harry will keep his chin up and help Tottenham and the national team to shine,” Lloris said.
