England exit World Cup LIVE: Referee criticised after ‘nightmare’ as Harry Kane accepts penalty blame

SportFootballWorld CupAll the reaction after Harry Kane missed a late penalty against France as the Three Lions head home from Qatar

‘It’s not coming home’: England squad head back to UK after World Cup dreams are shattered

England are heading home with their World Cup 2022 dream all over, following Saturday night’s 2-1 defeat to France. Harry Kane scored one penalty to equalise after Aurelien Tchouameni’s opener, but after Olivier Giroud put Les Bleus back in front, Kane spurned his second chance from the spot to send the Three Lions crashing out at the quarter-final stage.

The England captain was distraught after the game and accepted responsibility for the miss, but his manager Gareth Southgate backed his striker for big performances along the way. The head coach did, however, stop short of clarifying his own future with the team, saying time was needed before any decisions.

Meanwhile, the referee’s performance was criticised and fans of the England team appeared to alter his Wikipedia page in response to his performance.

Follow the reaction to England’s World Cup exit and all the latest news on Qatar 2022 below:

1670774383‘It’s really hard to take’: England players devastated as World Cup hopes endDeclan Rice says he is “distraught” as England really believed this would be their year and that the “better team lost”, while expressing a squad wish that Gareth Southgate stay as manager as has created something “special” that the players “love” being involved with.

The midfielder felt Southgate got it “spot on” in terms of game plan in the 2-1 quarter-final loss to France, especially as Kylian Mbappe was so “quiet” and both goals came against the run of play. Rice similarly said England were “not happy” with some of the decisions but didn’t want to say any more about the referee.

“I think you can see on my face right now I’m distraught because we really believed this year that it could be our year,” he said.

More here:

Miguel Delaney11 December 2022 15:59

1670773517Kylian Mbappe is the world’s best decoy as Kyle Walker wins battle but loses warKyle Walker dropped his head, opened his lungs and ran. This was exactly the type of run he was in the team to make, a fast-twitch surge the length of the field to recover his position, and yet he knew this was a race already lost. Kylian Mbappe hadn’t followed him back into deep French territory, and now Mbappe had the ball, and he was dribbling, and Walker had left his station unattended.

It hadn’t started this way. France kicked off and immediately switched the ball to Mbappe advancing down the wing where Walker met him with a crunch. As France settled on the ball in the opening forays, Mbappe lurked on the fringes, flitting in and out with little steps of deception as Walker stood warily a few yards inside, glancing coquettishly over his shoulder, the two of them conducting their own dance away from the rest.

Mbappe stayed in Walker’s sights right up to the moment he stopped looking. England advanced down the right and Walker went on a jaunt. He passed to Bukayo Saka and went on further, into the French box, looking for the return. It never came, and by the time he’d made that long sprint back to his defensive mark, Mbappe had already travelled across the pitch shrugging off Declan Rice’s lunge as he went. There he took up the attention of England’s defenders on the edge of the box as Antoine Griezmann teed up Aurelien Tchouameni to fire in France’s first goal.

Full article here:

Lawrence Ostlere11 December 2022 15:45

1670772662How French media reacted to France’s victory over EnglandLa Croix claimed that France “can count themselves lucky” after progressing to the World Cup semi-finals, while Le Monde wrote that France “struggled” their way past England.

“Crunchy” was the headline used by L’Equipe, after France gave away the two penalties and – as Harry Maguire and many English fans believed – were fortunate to get away with many other challenges.

Meanwhile, French ESPN journalist Julien Laurens said “the winning team is not always the best”, though he did credit France on finding a way to win.

It was a sentiment echoed by France coach Didier Deschamps, who said after the match, “You need a bit of luck sometimes.”

Alex Pattle11 December 2022 15:31

1670771743Predicting England’s 2026 World Cup squadThe oldest player in England’s Euro 2020 squad was also the oldest in their World Cup 2022 squad. And if, in Kyle Walker, he may have also been the quickest, there is the possibility that a flying 36-year-old could still be the fastest footballer in England by the time the next World Cup kicks off.

But the probability is that Walker’s World Cup career ended with his excellent display against Kylian Mbappe on Saturday. He will not be alone in that. England’s age profile felt almost perfect for Euro 2020 and this World Cup. They have little need for a huge overhaul ahead of Euro 2024. But by the time that, assuming they qualify, they head across the Atlantic in 2026, it will be with a different cast list. Probably a different manager, too, and Gareth Southgate’s eventual successor, whether now or in 2024, will have his own priorities and preferences. The squad in four years’ time will reflect system and style of play, which players have progressed and regressed, who is injured and who has emerged.

But there will be changes. Here’s what England’s World Cup squad could look like in 2026:

Richard Jolly11 December 2022 15:15

1670770835Next England manager latest oddsOne of the questions yet to be answered once the fallout from England’s World Cup campaign is analysed is whether or not Gareth Southgate will continue to lead the team.

The players have been quick to offer his support but the boss himself was non-committal on the matter straight after the game.

Here are the latest odds (via Oddschecker) on who could potentially replace him if he steps down:

Mauricio Pochettino 5/1

Graham Potter 7/2

Eddie Howe 8/1

Thomas Tuchel 10/1

Brendan Rodgers 16/1

Steven Gerrard 16/1

Steve Cooper 20/1

Wayne Rooney 20/1

Jose Mourinho 33/1

Others including the rather diverse selection of Sarina Wiegman, Julian Nagelsmann, Roberto Mancini and Chris Wilder are mentioned as possible options to consider.

Karl Matchett11 December 2022 15:00

1670769935Harry Kane reacts to England’s World Cup exitHarry Kane, England’s lead striker, captain and the man who both scored and missed a penalty against France in the quarter-final defeat, says he is “absolutely gutted” to have missed out on a berth in the semis at the World Cup.

“Now it’s about using the experience to be mentally and physically stronger for the next challenge,” he wrote in a second post on Twitter. “Thanks for all the support throughout the tournament – it means a lot.”

Karl Matchett11 December 2022 14:45

1670769035Gareth Southgate refuses to commit to England future after World Cup exitGareth Southgate did not commit to staying with England beyond the World Cup following their quarter-final defeat to France and said he will need “time” to reflect on his future.

Kane had converted an earlier spot-kick to cancel out Aurelien Tchouameni’s excellent opener, before Olivier Giroud scored the winner with a header at the near post.

Southgate’s contract runs until the end of the European Championships in 2024 and the England manager said he will take “time to reflect” on the Qatar tournament before making a decision on his future.

Karl Matchett11 December 2022 14:30

1670768135Crying Cristiano Ronaldo mourns the end of a dream and, perhaps, an eraThere were tears in the tunnel. Cristiano Ronaldo has spent too much of 2022 struggling to contain his emotions. This time, at least, he could be forgiven for displaying them. There may have been an element of selfishness about the way the substitute stalked off the pitch, leaving his teammates to commiserate with each other and acknowledge the outnumbered Portuguese contingent in the stands.

Certainly, a man who knows the cameras are trained on him scarcely felt supportive when shaking his head as Ruben Dias and Diogo Costa erred while Youssef En-Nesyri headed in the only goal; it was a Ronaldo-esque finish, but they often are, given the range and volume of goals he has scored over the last two decades.

An hour later, as the victorious Moroccans kneeled down in front of their raucous supporters, Ronaldo was crying for himself, for his dream. He will not complete the set. Lionel Messi may yet win the World Cup but Ronaldo won’t. One ambition will elude him, one medal escape him. The private grief may have been the reaction of a self-centred individual but, in a sense, his has been a solitary quest.

Karl Matchett11 December 2022 14:15

1670767235Harry Kane ‘very, very low’ after World Cup penalty miss, says England manager Gareth SouthgateKane had earlier scored an England equaliser from the spot, crashing the ball into the net of his Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris to equal Wayne Rooney’s record tally of 53 England goals. But at the second time of asking, with the score now 2-1 following Olivier Giroud’s headed goal for France, Kane lashed his effort high over the crossbar and England never recovered.

Southgate revealed Kane was distraught in the dressing room after the game.

“He’s very, very low, but he’s got nothing to reproach himself for,” the manager said. “We are in the position we are as a team because of his leadership, his goals, over a long period of time. Tonight is a result of 100 minutes of football. For us there are no recriminations. We’ve always stuck together as a team and we win and lose together.”

Karl Matchett11 December 2022 14:00

1670766335‘You need a bit of luck’: Deschamps after France beat EnglandFrance boss Didier Deschamps admitted “you need a bit of luck sometimes” after the reigning champions edged past England to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

Four years on from lifting the trophy in Moscow, Les Bleus set-up a shot at a second straight final against surprise package Morocco on Wednesday evening.

France secured their return to Al Bayt Stadium for the semi-final after Harry Kane scored one penalty and missed another in a 2-1 victory against Gareth Southgate’s side.

Aurelien Tchouameni’s excellent strike was cancelled out by the England skipper, before Giroud scored his 53rd international goal and Kane blasted a late spot-kick over.

“England had a very good team,” France boss Deschamps said. “What they showed in terms of their technical ability, their intensity, even though we put up a good fight, was impressive.

“I regret the fact that we gave them a penalty and then gave them another penalty that they missed, but credit to my team as well. We also showed some very good things and we can still be dangerous.”

More here from the French boss:

Karl Matchett11 December 2022 13:45