Everyone is offended just after they have lost, so there can be little surprise that Kylian Mbappe has earned some anger for his reaction to Harry Kane’s missed penalty.
With England trailing 2-1 in their World Cup quarter final in the outskirts of Al-Khor, they were awarded a penalty. This was their second of the match, with Kane dispatching the first with apparent ease past his Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris.
Unfortunately for Gareth Southgate’s side, and as everyone familiar with England's reliably tragic story plotting had guessed, a repeat performance was not on the cards. As England’s captain ballooned his second effort from 12 yards, Mbappe reacted as, let’s face it, most people would in similar circumstances.
The face of France’s star player was caught on camera, a wide-mouthed closed-eyed expression of purest, sweetest joy. All arched eyebrows and wonderful teeth, he looked like a human emoji. Unfortunately, to some parties, it looked like he was laughing.
Blurry in the background of the still photos, unmistakable in the turquoise shoulders of a kit which few liked and even fewer will now, is Kane. You can barely make him out, but he radiates sadness.
Reaction to Mbappe’s reaction ranged from the furious to the more furious, with swearing. But ultimately, England fans are resigned. We have been here before, Kylian. A little bit of laughter is not going to make much difference.
These moments have a habit of pockmarking the national team’s lowest moments. Think Cristiano Ronaldo’s wink in Germany in 2006, the preening chest-out pout of Andreas Moller at Wembley in 1996 and the ongoing existence of Diego Simeone since successfully winding up David Beckham in Saint Etienne in 1998.
In the grand scheme of emotional reactions at this tournament it paled compared to Friday’s spice between Argentina and the Netherlands. That match had been horribly ill-tempered, with Dutch players attempting to disturb the lonely walk to the penalty spot during its shoot-out, that Argentina’s reacted with venom when they eventually prevailed. Their incriminating evidence was damning, Mbappe’s is inconclusive.
Will the Frenchman’s delight go on to become a defining image of this promising but ultimately doomed England campaign? Unfortunately for Kane, no, it most probably will not.
The nation will need the Men in Black memory erasing Neuralyzer to wipe out that desperate second penalty. Women and children first, although not before Kane.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbHLnp6rmaCde6S7ja6iaK%2Bfp7mlecKup2hqYGd%2FcH2RaGhpZ5yWwqi0jKWgpJ1doMattcCnZKaakaW9pnnWnq2eZw%3D%3D