Keith Hackett unhappy at VAR as 'clear and obvious error' denies England penalty vs DR Congo

Keith Hackett has insisted that England should have had a penalty against DR Congo after Harry Kane was taken down in the box in the first half.

England progressed to the World Cup round of 16 on Wednesday evening with a late 2-1 win over DR Congo.

Harry Kane came to his nation's rescue with a second-half brace to cancel out Brian Cipenga's early opener in Atlanta.

The Three Lions will now face Mexico in their capital next week, and they could have sealed the win much earlier after being denied a penalty in the first half.

Kane looked to have been fouled by DR Congo stopper Lionel Mpasi-Nzau in the 44th minute, but referee Adham Makhadmeh pointed the other way for a dive.

Replays showed that the England captain was caught by the keeper, yet VAR refused to get involved in the decision and play went on.

Kane was not handed a yellow card by the referee for his apparent dive, but made sure that he decided the game in the second half regardless.

Keith Hackett says England deserved penalty as Harry Kane was fouled

Kane's record from the spot means England would surely have drawn level, with 24 penalty goals for his country in 28 attempts.

Former FIFA official and PGMOL chief, Hackett, has exclusively told Football Insider that he should have won a spot kick and the VAR officials were wrong not to send the referee to review his decision.

He said: "This was a foul by the goalkeeper, who made no attempt to play the ball. England should have had a penalty kick. A poor piece of officiating.

"It is a simple and easy decision for the referee to make. Kane was fouled by the goalkeeper, and therefore, it is a penalty kick. Players and fans will be disappointed by this decision, which was a clear and obvious error.

"This needed to be reviewed, this needed the referee to have a look, so he can see what we have seen."

How can viewers watch England's next World Cup game?

Sources have told Football Insider that England have issues in midfield with Declan Rice, as they lack creativity through the middle of the pitch.

He could be in line to start at right-back for Thomas Tuchel's side against Mexico next time out, with kick-off set for 1am BST on Monday, 6 July.

The clash is set to take place at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with viewers able to tune in live on BBC One and iPlayer.