Harry Kane missed a penalty for England during their Nations League clash with Spain, but the Bayern Munich striker accidentally broke a rare UEFA double-touch rule in the process. The 33-year-old blasted his second-half spot-kick against the crossbar, much to the relief of goalkeeper Unai Simon.
A penalty was awarded to the Three Lions after Italian referee Davide Massa consulted the VAR pitchside monitor and decided that Jude Bellingham had been fouled by Rodri inside the box. Kane took the kick but struck the underside of the bar.
Rare rule breach at Wembley
However, Kane broke a rare rule in the process - he hit the ball twice. His standing left leg made contact with the ball before his right foot connected. Had he scored, the captain's goal would have been disallowed and he would have been instructed to retake the penalty.
IFAB rules, which are employed by UEFA, state that penalties scored with an accidental double-touch must be retaken, while missed penalties result in an indirect free-kick being awarded to the opposition. That was the situation at Wembley, as following two Spain substitutions, Massa gave the World Cup winners a free-kick inside their own box.
UEFA's Law 14 clarification
A statement issued by UEFA in June 2025 read: "UEFA will immediately implement the clarification provided by IFAB of Law 14 with regard to cases of double touch of the ball by the player taking a penalty kick. Consequently, all UEFA matches will now be played under the new interpretation of Law 14."
According to Law 14: "If, before the ball is in play, one of the following occurs:"
England's dramatic comeback
England and Spain delivered a riveting first hour of football in London, with Spain seizing an early lead within two minutes as Lamine Yamal capitalised on a Marc Guehi blunder to get the scoreboard ticking. The Three Lions retaliated with two rapid-fire goals before half-time, courtesy of Anthony Gordon and Kane.
Substitute Mikel Oyarzabal, who netted the decisive goal in the Euro 2024 final when Spain triumphed over England in Berlin, was brought on to reclaim the visitors' lead in the 74th minute with a sublime lofted finish.
Kane's first-half goal marked his 86th for his country on his 122nd cap. However, Thomas Tuchel's star No. 9 will likely be ruing missed opportunities, having also squandered a promising first-half chance when he opted to curl just wide instead of passing to Gordon in the open space inside the area.
