Tottenham Hotspur ‘keeper coach Pat Jennings has backed Paul Robinson after the media blamed Croatia’s second goal firmly on England’s number one.
The former Northern Irish international said: “There wasn’t much he could have done.
“What could he do if the ball hits a divot and bounces over his foot?”
He added: “We all know the game, if the ball pops up suddenly like that few goalkeepers would have done anything about it.
“Paul has cleared his lines thousands of times, so you have to make allowances for the ball bobbling over his foot in such circumstances.
“It was made to look more glaring because, as all keepers know, there is nobody behind to clear up any mistakes.
“But I wouldn’t put it down as a mistake, it was just a piece of very bad luck.”