Harry: Penalty miss tough to take but young England team in really good place

England captain Harry Kane accepted responsibility for his side's defeat in the quarterfinal of the World Cup against France.

Kane had leveled the score with a penalty to cancel out Aurelien Tchouameni's 17th-minute opener for France, but in the 83rd minute the Tottenham striker had another opportunity to equalize from the spot after Mason Mount was bundled over by Theo Hernandez.

This time, however, Kane sent his effort high into the night sky and France held on for the win.

"I can't fault my preparation or the details before the game. I felt confident taking it, just didn't execute it the way I wanted to. It will be something I have to live with and take on the chin," Kane told the BBC.

"It's tough to take for me personally and the team," he added, praising England's performance which saw the Three Lions have more possession and more shots on target than the French.

"I couldn't be prouder of the boys. We had better spells, better chances but football comes down to small details — as the captain and the one who missed the penalty, I take responsibility for that," said Kane, who is optimistic for the future of a young squad.

"The team is in a really good place and there will be highs in the future. Standing here now, we are gutted it has come to an end as we had full belief we could go all the way."

"We can be proud of what we've done," he concluded.

Xinhua