Harry Kane joked “my foot’s hanging off!” as he responded to claims that England were “fortunate” to receive a first-half penalty as they trailed the Netherlands before coming back to book a place in the Euro 2024 final.
Gareth Southgate’s side had trailed to Xavi Simons’ stunning strike inside seven minutes in Dortmund before England were awarded a penalty that divided the pundits at half-time.
Kane hit a rising strike over the crossbar from inside the penalty area but as the England captain stayed down holding his foot, replays showed he was caught by Netherlands defender Denzel Dumfries.
Even though Kane managed to get his shot away, the VAR recommended an on-field review for referee Felix Zwayer, who pointed to the penalty spot after consulting the monitor.
The striker scored from the spot for his third goal of Euro 2024, before Ollie Watkins struck a stunning 91st-minute winner against the Dutch to secure a 2-1 win and set up a final against Spain on Sunday.
Former England international Gary Neville said the penalty decision was a “disgrace” while former Scotland striker Ally McCoist said England were “fortunate” to be handed the lifeline.
“My foot’s hanging off so he definitely caught me!” Kane told ITV. “Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t. I was happy to step up and see that go in the back of the net. It was a nice feeling for sure.”
On ITV, Neville clashed with fellow pundit Ian Wright, who was adamant it was a penalty. But Neville was incredulous as Wright called Dumfries’ challenge “reckless”.
“As a defender I think it’s a disgrace,” Neville said. “At any time, in a game of such importance, I was fuming by the Denmark one [a handball against Germany], I was offended.
“It’s natural to block the shot, it’s not a penalty, nowhere near a penalty.
“We’re all going mad, we don’t know what a penalty is. We’ve conditioned ourselves in the game to think that’s a penalty. Honestly, that is not a penalty. I think in the box, there’s a bit of licence to go in and block the shot.”
England will play their first men’s major final on foreign soil when they face Spain in Berlin on Sunday. The Three Lions are through to a successive European Championship final after losing to Italy three years ago.
“History made,” Kane said. “Amazing achievement. I’m so proud of everyone. Every player, every member of staff, I’m so proud of them. To do what we’ve done away from home is really special. There’s that feeling there’s one more left and we need to do that on Sunday.
“Another unbelievably tough game [against Spain]. There’s one more game to make history. That’s what we’re excited about. It’s been a tough journey but there’s one more. 90 minutes, 120, penalties, whatever it takes we’ll be there. I’m looking forward to it.”