Kane uses 2022 France miss to fuel England captaincy and 100 goals

Harry Kane said the penalty he missed against France in the 2022 World Cup remains the lowest moment of his career but has become a driving force as he prepares to captain England at a third World Cup next summer in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Kane, 32, scored twice in England's 5-0 win over Latvia in Riga on Tuesday to secure qualification for the 2026 tournament and move to 76 international goals.

Kane described the 84th minute spot kick that flew over the crossbar in Qatar as the hardest moment to process. "Id say that was probably the worst that I felt in any moment," he told reporters, adding that the responsibility of the moment made it particularly difficult. Rather than dwell on the error, Kane said he used it to refine his technique and mentality. "After that penalty, I went 31 without missing. I changed my technique a little bit. I improved in that sense, which I was proud of," he said.

That adjustment included introducing more variation into his run up, such as a stutter step to better read goalkeepers, a change that produced a long streak of successful conversions for club and country. The run ended with a miss in the German Cup for Bayern Munich, but Kane...