FIFA have revealed their new World Cup ball for the semis and finals.
The “Al Hilm” ball – which translates to “The Dream” in Arabic – replaces Al Rihla – “The Journey”.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina, who beat Netherlands, will be the first to use the new ball against Croatia on Tuesday night.
A day later, reigning champions France face Morocco following their dramatic win over England.
In a match played with the old ball – Al Rihla – Harry Kane levelled from the penalty spot but missed a second spot kick as he blazed over the bar.
That miss meant England went down to a 2-1 defeat as Kane broke his silence on the penalty heartbreak.
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He posted online: “Absolutely gutted. We’ve given it everything and it’s come down to a small detail which I take responsibility for.
“There’s no hiding from it, it hurts and it’ll take some time to get over it but that’s part of sport.
“Now it’s about using the experience to be mentally and physically stronger for the next challenge.
“Thanks for all the support throughout the tournament – it means a lot.”
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Southgate backed his skipper, and said: “For me, we win and lose as a team.
“We have let a couple of goals in and missed a few chances.
“He has been incredible for us and is so reliable for us in those situations.
“We wouldn’t be here but for the number of goals he has scored for us.”
Though the ball is unlikely to have had any impact on Kane’s second penalty, it did cause the game against France to be stopped after less than a minute.
This happened when Harry Maguire realised it had gone flat and booted it out of play in order for a replacement to be thrown onto the pitch.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
