Harry Kane Penalty Against Croatia Retaken Due to VAR Infringements

England captain Harry Kane scored from the penalty spot against Croatia, but only after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened to order a retake of his initial attempt.

The penalty was awarded in the ninth minute of the match following a foul by Luka Modric on England's Noni Madueke. Kane's first shot was saved by Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.

VAR subsequently intervened, ruling that Livakovic had moved prematurely off his line before the ball was struck. Football rules stipulate that a goalkeeper must have at least one foot on or above the goal line at the moment a penalty kick is taken.

Even if Livakovic had remained on his line, the penalty would still have been retaken due to a second infringement. After Livakovic's initial save, Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol cleared the loose ball. VAR determined that Gvardiol was inside the penalty area when Kane took his first attempt. This encroachment was deemed impactful as Gvardiol prevented Madueke, who was positioned behind him, from having a chance at the rebound.

With two clear infringements identified, Kane was granted a second opportunity and successfully converted the penalty kick. This incident occurred during a World Cup opener where England was drawing 2-2.

Kane has experienced similar situations previously. He had a penalty saved for Bayern Munich against Atalanta earlier in the season, where he noted that he was aware the opposing goalkeeper often came off his line. He stated at the time, "I knew that if I stopped, there was a good chance he'd come too far forward. And that's exactly what happened."

(Source: Yahoo Sports Soccer)