French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has stated that he had a message of support for Tottenham Hotspur teammate Harry Kane after the England striker missed a late penalty in their quarter-final fixture against France, which led to their 2-1 defeat and subsequent elimination from FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

After France took the lead in the first half through Aurelien Tchouameni’s strike, England levelled from Harry Kane’s penalty, but after Olivier Giroud restored the lead for France, Kane missed from the spot on a

Both players will meet again in North London when club football resumes on boxing day. Hugo Lloris has noted the challenging period it is for English football.

“It’s a difficult time for the England national team and Harry. We had a text after the game. It was not easy to find the words. He needed some time to rest. I think he can be proud of what he has done for the national team. In football history, many top players have missed penalties in their career – Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo – but I have no doubt Harry will keep his chin up and help Tottenham and the national team to shine.” Lloris said.

When Harry Kane returns to prepare for the resumption of club football, Hugo Lloris is preparing for the semi-final of the World Cup, where France will face Morocco.

France will be hoping to become the first country to retain their world cup title in over 60 years, but first, they must overcome Morocco in the semi-final and overcome Argentina in the final.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi scored and assisted in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Croatia in the first semi-final on Tuesday.

The result means the Argentines now have revenge on the Croatians, who also defeated them by the same scoreline in Russia 2018 when they met in the group stage opener.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu