Why Harry Kane was allowed to retake World Cup penalty against Croatia

Harry Kane famously said, ‘You can’t give me two tries’, and after missing one penalty before scoring his second, he’s just done it again.

The striker opened the scoring in England’s World Cup opener against Croatia from the spot after seeing his initial effort saved.

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Thomas Tuchel‘s side were gifted the opportunity to take an early lead in Texas after Luka Modric caught Noni Madueke inside the box.

Kane duly stepped up and brought back unwanted memories of his last World Cup penalty four years ago by having his shot from 12 yards beaten away by Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković.

However, the referee instantly ordered a retake, and the England captain made no mistake by finding the bottom corner.

Why was Kane allowed to retake his penalty vs Croatia?

Zlatko Dalić’s men committed two offences that would have ordered a retake, as per the guidelines for the 2026 World Cup.

Firstly, Croatia’s No.1 Livaković was adjudged to have been off his line when Kane made contact with the ball with his stutter run-up.

According to IFAB, the rules state: “The defending goalkeeper must remain on the goal line, facing the kicker, between the goalposts, until the ball is kicked. […] When the ball is kicked, the defending goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot touching, in line with, or behind, the goal line.

The rulebook adds: “If the ball is prevented from entering the goal by the goalkeeper, the kick is retaken.”

But the VAR team had also flagged a clear case of encroachment from Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol.

The 24-year-old had both feet inside the 18-yard area as Kane took his kick, and was first on the scene to clear the rebound after the save.

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Again, the rules state: “A team-mate of the goalkeeper is penalised for encroachment only if: the encroachment clearly impacted on the kicker; or the encroaching player plays the ball or challenges an opponent for the ball, and this prevents the opponents from scoring, attempting to score or creating a goal-scoring opportunity.”

As a result, referee Clement Turpin had a brief conversation with VAR before pointing to the spot for another England penalty.

This time, Kane made no mistake in giving England the lead.

However, Croatia equalised in the 38th minute through Como’s Martin Baturina.

Kane again proved to be the main man for England as he restored the lead by heading home from a Declan Rice corner.

Yet Petar Musa levelled things up for a second time on the stroke of half-time.