England faced Croatia in their World Cup group opener, with the match producing a penalty in the ninth minute after Luka Modric fouled Noni Madueke. Harry Kane stepped up to take the spot-kick, but it was saved by Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.
The VAR intervened to award Kane a retake. Livakovic had left his line before the kick was taken, having moved fractionally too soon. Additionally, defender Josko Gvardiol had moved early inside the penalty area when he cleared the loose ball after Livakovic's save, affecting the chance for a rebound attempt.
Kane converted the second penalty attempt. Croatia later equalized, but the incident highlighted the dual violations that can trigger a retake under World Cup rules.
The VAR handling of penalty enforcement may influence odds on refereeing consistency and penalty-taking margins across remaining group matches.
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