Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- A World Cup favorite finds itself trailing at halftime after a shocking defensive lapse against an underdog team in Atlanta.
- The half was defined by a controversial VAR decision that left fans divided and sparked heated debate among pundits and former players.
- The next 45 minutes will test whether England can recover from this refereeing controversy or face one of their most unexpected defeats in tournament history.
Do we have another massive World Cup shock on our hands? England are massive favorites to beat DR Congo at Mercedes-Benz Stadium but, at halftime, the Three Lions find themselves 1-0 down. After some terrible defending, with Djed Spence dragged out of position, Brian Cipenga lashed the African side in front and stunned Atlanta into silence.
That, though, was not the major talking point of the first half. On the cusp of the break, Harry Kane burst in behind, poked the ball beyond DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi and collapsed to the turf. Referee Adham Makhadmeh put his whistle to his lips, and everyone expected him to point to the penalty spot. Instead, to everyone's shock, he pointed the other way, penalizing Kane for diving.
England, Harry Kane outraged after VAR denies England
Chancel Mbemba and teammates appealed for a yellow card to be shown to the England captain, but that did not happen either, making it an even more bizarre decision. Well, there is nothing like a refereeing controversy to divide opinion.
Speaking on commentary for the BBC in the UK, Alan Shearer asserted that this "was definitely a penalty", while the BBC's refereeing expert Darren Cann also believed a penalty should have been given, following VAR review. Joe Hart, former England goalkeeper, said he would expect a penalty to be awarded had that been him making that contact, but Wayne Rooney disagreed, asserting that Kane was looking for it and thus he believed the official made the correct decision.
There was also plenty of dicussion about this call on social media:
- Stu Holden, former USMNT international: "Not a penalty for Kane. Started dragging his feet before the contact".
- Adam Crafton the Athletic: "I thought that was both a foul and an exaggerated fall by Kane. So I can understand why the officials stuck to their decision".
- Scotland’s Coefficient: Harry Kane's a diver and he has totally played for that - but I'm shocked that wasn't given as a penalty for England. Looked a stonewaller.
In summary, this has caused much discourse and disagreement. Butwhen even a Scotland fan believes England should have had a penalty, that says it all really. Kane got to the ball first and Mpasi made clear contact with his foot before he began his fall to the ground — at the very least, you'd think that the VAR official would have asked to take a closer look.
It was not to be, though, meaning that England still need to find an equalizer to keep their tournament dreams alive. Without this spot-kick, will England turn this tie around and avoid their most shocking World Cup defeat since losing to the USA in 1950? We shall see.
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