Harry Kane becomes England’s joint top goalscorer after World Cup penalty

The England forward is now level with Rooney on 53 goals for the Three Lions

Harry Kane equalled Wayne Rooney’s England goalscoring record with 53 goals for the Three Lions on a bittersweet evening after defeat to France at the World Cup.

The Tottenham striker converted a penalty against Les Bleus in the quarter-final tie in Qatar, only to miss a second after Olivier Giroud had put the world champions back in front.

Kane therefore missed a chance to move clear and become the outright record goalscorer for his country, smashing over the bar in his second head-to-head contest against club teammate Hugo Lloris.

Didier Deschamps’ world champions held their nerve late on to advance to the semi-finals, where they will face Morocco.

Kane’s consolation is moving level with the legendary Rooney, with the Spurs striker’s 53rd goal coming in just 80 caps for his country, compared to the former Manchester United star’s 120 matches to reach the milestone.

Kane’s first spot kick came from a Tchouaméni foul on Bukayo Saka and a lengthy wait before the 29-year-old stepped up.

Kylian Mbappe interrupted Kane’s preparation with a last-second message for Kane’s Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris.

But Kane composed himself and drilled the penalty to the left side of the goal, sending Lloris the wrong way.

It was Kane’s second goal of the tournament and takes his World Cup tally up to eight.

Gary Lineker still has the World Cup record for England with 10 goals, from his 48 overall in 80 appearances.

Kane can now move clear of Rooney when England face Italy on 23 March, 2023 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to kick off the Uefa Euro 2024 qualifiers.

The match in Naples is the first in a double-header, with Ukraine next up three days later on 26 March.