Hugo Lloris says he feels sorry for his Tottenham teammate Harry Kane after his penalty miss cost England against France in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final.
Kane had scored a penalty early in the second-half to level the game but failed to repeat his heroics late on, allowing the reigning champions to advance to the semi-finals with a 2-1 win.
Lloris, France’s captain and goalkeeper, knows Kane very well having played alongside side him at Spurs for the best part of the last decade.
Many believed that he psyched out his club teammate prior to the penalty miss, but the 35-year-old did not confirm this post match.
He did however express his sypathy towards the striker, saying: ‘I want to be honest with you, with all the emotions, it’s a big match, it was a key moment.
‘The man that I am have to be honest, we are team-mates, I respect him a lot. Kane took the responsibility at a key moment in the match.
‘Fortunately for the French team he missed. I know he is strong and he may not think about it for too long. I can share this moment of pain with him. I didn’t speak to Harry after the match.’
Kane appeared inconsolable afterwards, and in his post-match interview took responsibility for the defeat, on a night where England were the better team.
For France though, they move on to the semi-finals where they will play Morocco, with Les Bleus looking to become the first team in 60 years to win back to back World Cups.
If they succeeded, Lloris would become the first player to ever captain his side to such a feat.
‘We have to savour this moment in the dressing room,’ he added.
‘It’s a big moment. It’s England. We did a very good job. The French players deserve the credit. We have to prepare for the next battle.
‘The mental aspect was decisive. It was a difficult match against a very good English team, they deserve a lot of praise because it was a great battle right to the end.
‘We were solid in the important moments of the match, we hurt them when we had to.’
MORE : ‘We were lucky’ – France hero Olivier Giroud reacts after knocking England out of World Cup
MORE : Wayne Rooney reacts to Harry Kane equalling his England record and World Cup exit
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