ENGLAND are OUT of the World Cup and have returned home after their defeat to France.
Aurelien Tchouameni’s long-range strike saw the French take the lead but Harry Kane netted from the spot to level the score.
However, Olivier Giroud netted to put France ahead towards the end of the game.
But Harry Kane missed a penalty late on as the Three Lions went crashing out.
Elsewhere, a new ball has been unveiled ahead of the semi-finals as Morocco shocked the world to make the next round.
They join Argentina and Croatia, who both progressed, and will face France.
Keep up to date with all of the action from our live match blogs ahead of the semi-finals:
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Tuchel wants England job
Thomas Tuchel wants the England job — if Gareth Southgate decides to walk away.
The former Chelsea chief is back in Germany after being sacked by the Blues in September.
But Tuchel, 49, would love to make a swift return to England as boss of the Three Lions.
He has seen first-hand all the young talent at the country’s disposal, both at Stamford Bridge and in opposition teams.
Chelsea stars Mason Mount, Reece James, Conor Gallagher, Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell have all been part of the current set-up.
The FA is desperate for Southgate to stay on despite Saturday’s 2-1 World Cup quarter-final defeat to France.
Giroud ‘seconds from being subbed’ before goal
Olivier Giroud was reportedly seconds from being subbed when he broke England’s hearts.
The Three Lions suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to France in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals at the Al Bayt Stadium last night.
Get French Football News stated: “Didier Deschamps had decided to take Olivier Giroud off for Marcus Thuram before France’s all-time scorer netted – just 1 more stoppage in play & he would have been off. Fine margins indeed.”
‘We were so close’ says Southgate
Gareth Southgate claims England went “so close” to glory in Qatar and are now consistently “feeding at the top table of world football”.
Southgate told England’s YouTube channel: “Ultimately we’ve fallen short, I can’t get away from that.
“But we’re feeding at the top table of European and world football consistently now.
“If we’re in that place with the depth of squad that we’ve got, then that’s exciting and important for England.
“It’s a difficult time for everybody. We’re really aware of that. I think the players have represented them in the right way, played in the right way.”
England arrive home
England’s stars and staff have touched back down on home turf following last night’s heartbreaking World Cup exit.
The Three Lions suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to France in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals at the Al Bayt Stadium.
Les Bleus controversially opened the scoring with Aurelien Tchouameni’s long-range stunner and Harry Kane levelled things up from the penalty spot before Olivier Giroud extended his scoring record with 53 goals.
England’s heroic captain had the chance to equalise once more with another spot-kick but he sadly missed the target.
That meant that our boys were on the next plane home – but not before they showed their class off the pitch this morning.
England showered hotel staff with gifts as they left to fly home from Qatar.
Mbappe hails Ronaldo
Kylian Mbappe has hailed “GOAT” Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford – after initially irking England fans.
The France striker celebrated with a huge mocking laugh when Three Lions’ skipper Harry Kane missed a late match-saving penalty in the World Cup quarter-final.
But he responded positively after icon Ronaldo and England sub Rashford posted touching messages following their weekend exits from Qatar.
Manchester United discard Ron, 37, hinted he is considering his international future after appearing to accept his greatest remaining dream – Portugal winning the World Cup – is now over.
Mbappe replied to the social media post with a GOAL emoji.
And when Rashford posted to say England had given everything, Mbappe sent a heart emoji.
New ball, please
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 Netherland’s, face Croatia on Tuesday night.
A day later, reigning champions France face Morocco following their dramatic win over England.
Saka’s breaks silence
Bukayo Saka has broken his silence after England’s World Cup exit with a touching social media post thanking the “special” squad, Gareth Southgate and supporters.
He wrote: “I can’t explain how I feel today, but we gave everything out there and we really wish we could have brought it home for you all this time.
“I just wanted to say a genuine thank you to our fans, you’ve all been amazing both at the games and at home this tournament and we felt it.
“This group are really special and talented, so although we are disappointed now, I am really excited for our future. Thank you to my @England family – my team mates, Gareth, the coaching and all the backroom staff for all their hard work and dedication to help us get this far.
“We will build from this and with your support we will keep improving and making progress together. See you all soon.”
Fury supports England’s heroes
Tyson Fury sent out a message of support to the heartbroken England squad after their World Cup KO.
He tweeted: “Hold your heads up lions. We Go Again @EnglandFootball.
“Support Our Team. Support Our Boys. Support Our Team. In Victory and In Defeat.”
Generous England
Caring England stars showered hotel staff with gifts as they left to fly home from Qatar following an agonising World Cup exit.
The Three Lions departed as classily off the pitch as they had on it with their unlucky 2-1 quarter-final loss to France.
England players handed out signed shirts and hugged workers, who in turn said Gareth Southgate’s 25-man squad had “made them feel like princes” and became “like family”.
Midfield sensation Jude Bellingham urged fans to “stick with us” as he went over to chat outside the hotel and sign autographs.
Dave the Cat heading to UK
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for England after their heartbreaking World Cup quarter-final defeat to France.
The Three Lions’ unofficial tournament mascot, Dave the cat, began his journey to the UK as Gareth Southgate’s squad also headed for home.
Dave became the squad’s mascot after joining England stars at meal times during their stay in Qatar.
John Stones and Kyle Walker pledged to adopt their furry friend if England won the World Cup.
But, despite crashing out 2-1 to France on Saturday, Dave is still heading to the UK to be rehomed.
He was seen being loaded into a crate to begin his journey shortly after Jack Grealish, Harry Maguire and Co left their Souq Al Wakrah hotel today.
Potter & Howe tipped for England
Graham Potter and Eddie Howe are among the favourites to be appointed England’s next manager, with Thomas Tuchel and Steven Gerrard also in the mix.
That’s according to bookmakers Betfair, who’ve installed the pair as frontrunners to succeed Gareth Southgate.
Many have described Chelsea’s Potter as the obvious long-term successor to Southgate and he’s available at 7/2 to secure the position.
Newcastle chief Eddie Howe is fractionally behind in the betting market at 4/1 to swap St James’ Park for St George’s Park.
Pochettino, who revealed he was open to managing a national side, is further behind at 5s.
Steve Cooper is 6/1, ahead of Thomas Tuchel (10/1), Frank Lampard (11/1) and Steven Gerrard (14/1).
England next manager
Betfair odds
- Graham Potter – 7/2
- Eddie Howe – 4/1
- Mauricio Pochettino – 5/1
- Steve Cooper – 6/1
- Thomas Tuchel – 10/1
- Frank Lampard – 11/1
- Steven Gerrard – 14/1
- Arsene Wenger – 16/1
- Brendan Rodgers – 16/1
- Sarina Wiegman – 16/1
- Wayne Rooney – 20/1
- Dean Smith – 25/1
Morgan backs Southgate
Piers Morgan has led the calls from players and pundits for Gareth Southgate to stay as England boss.
He tweeted: “Lots of debate over whether Gareth Southgate should continue as England manager. My criteria is this: could anyone else have done better with this (very good) squad of players?
“I don’t think so, and I like the way his team plays & behaves under him. So, I say: carry on Gareth.”
Lloris backs Kane
Hugo Lloris insists Harry Kane has the strength of character to bounce back from his World Cup penalty agony.
The veteran keeper said: “There were a lot of emotions out there because we were in the middle of a battle and at the end we were all very happy.
“But on a personal level, I am also saddened because Harry is a team-mate, a man whom I respect enormously and someone who took responsibility in a crucial moment of the game.
“It was a turning point of the match and I can only share this moment of pain with him.
“But I know that Harry is strong and that this hurt will pass for him.”
England crashed out despite winning tactical battle
England have crashed out of the World Cup yet again in devastating fashion, losing to reigning champions France.
Harry Kane will go to bed with nightmares of his late penalty miss after previously converting which would have put the game level once more.
Gareth Southgate’s side were defeated 2-1 but for much of the match England were the better team – so what went wrong?
Many were critical of England and Southgate or struggling to come out on top in big games, especially on the grandest stage at the World Cup.
Defeat to Les Blues didn’t help to silence critics and now supporters are further divided over the future of the Three Lions manager.
England were unfortunate not to progress into the semi-finals, but tournament football can be cruel and takes no prisoners.
SunSport takes you through the three key tactical details where this quarter-final was won and lost between the two European titans – and one player who made the difference.
Ronaldo breaks silence after World Cup exit
Cristiano Ronaldo posted an emotional statement after his “biggest and most ambitious dream” of winning a World Cup ended.
Ronaldo, who is currently a free agent after being sacked by Manchester United, will be 42 by the time the next World Cup kicks off.
It is unknown whether he will play on until then.
Ron wrote on Instagram this afternoon: “Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career.
“Fortunately, I won many titles of international dimension, including for Portugal, but putting the name of our country on the highest level in the world was my biggest dream.
“I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream. In the 5 appearances that I scored in World Cups over 16 years, always alongside great players and supported by millions of Portuguese people, I gave my all.
“I left everything on the field. I never turned my face to the fight and I never gave up on that dream.
“Unfortunately, yesterday the dream ended. It is not worth reacting to heat.”
‘Thank you for the unconditional support’, says Rashford
Rashford wrote on Twitter: “The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions, each and every one of our team gave everything we had to be ready for what was thrown at us, we got close, but not close enough.
“I’ll make a promise that we will come again!
“Thank you for the unconditional support.”
Rashford has enjoyed a resurgence this season for the Red Devils after a difficult last campaign.
The forward carried that form with him into the World Cup, although the 3-0 win over Wales in the final group game was his only start of the tournament.
Rashford vows to come back stronger
Marcus Rashford has vowed England “will come again” after last night’s World Cup heartbreak.
The Manchester United ace came off the bench as the Three Lions went down 2-1 to reigning champions France in the quarter-finals.
Rashford replaced Phil Foden for the final five minutes, and came close to scoring a stunning equaliser with a free-kick that skimmed the roof of the net in stoppage time.
The 25-year-old was superb in Qatar, and was the Three Lions’ joint top scorer with Bukayo Saka on three goals.
Taking to social media the morning after the defeat, Rashford thanked fans for their support and vowed that England will return better than ever.
Pickford and Trippier protect Kane
Jordan Pickford ushered away a camera operator as they tried to film Harry Kane’s penalty agony.
The England captain missed a late spot-kick to equalise in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against France.
It saw the defending champs cling on for a 2-1 win, setting up a semi-final against Morocco.
And devastated England players, including Kane, were overcome with emotion at the final whistle.
One camera operator decided to get a close-up of skipper Kane, who scored a penalty earlier on, as he leaned on his haunches with his head in his hands.
But teammate Pickford was having none of it as he and Kieran Trippier blocked the view.
Rice reveals Southgate’s post-game team talk
Rice, 23, who has 39 caps, delivered a strong midfield performance against France after a difficult start.
Asked about what Southgate said to the players afterwards, he said: “He was so proud of us as a group because of how we’ve been, how we’ve applied ourselves to the last month and what we’ve given in training sessions. Some of the lads that haven’t even had a minute, every day around the group.
“Against France, he got everything spot on again. It’s not on him. It’s not on him at all – the tactics were right, we played the right way.
“I think you can see on my face right now that I’m distraught because we really believed this year that it could be a year.”
England fans gutted but still ‘proud’
Devastated England fans last night drowned their sorrows after the Three Lions lost a nail-biting World Cup quarter-final 2-1 to France.
England battled hard in the second half but heartbroken Harry Kane hit his second penalty of the night over the bar – and with it missed a golden late chance to draw the Three Lions level again.
John Andrews, 39, who watched in Bristol, said: “We didn’t deserve to lose and should have had a penalty in the first half.
“I couldn’t believe some of the decisions the ref gave. I’m gutted.”
Gemma Wilson, 32, from Bristol, said: “I really thought Rashford’s free-kick was in.
“We deserved to get more out of the game. France were lucky. I’m so proud of the team.”
Arts practitioner Andrew Walker, 26, who watched in Newcastle, said: “I’m proud of the team. I think the penalty that Harry Kane missed was just down to pressure.
“Losing to France is no disgrace, they are the World Champions at the end of the day.”
Saka’s top performance
Notoriously tough-scoring French newspaper L’Equipe gave Bukayo Saka a higher match rating than Kylian Mbappe in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final.
England winger Saka was superb throughout the 2-1 defeat – and scored a seven out of ten from L’Equipe.
Mbappe on the other hand was given a five, with right-back Kyle Walker doing well to keep the shackles on the France dangerman.
But, despite Saka’s score, he wasn’t Player of the Match in the eyes of the French newspaper.
Instead that honour went to France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
The captain was given an eight out of ten, higher than anyone else on the pitch.
‘Negativity’ will go away once we win something, says Rice
Rice added: “We weren’t overly-confident over here but we were confident enough that we really could win this tournament and that is not the mentality England have had over the years.
“I think we’ve handled it so well, if you look at the squad we are so young, but we’ve got so many top players.
“We’ve got to a semi-final, Euros final, obviously crashed out here at a quarter-final but in my opinion the better team lost and that shows how far we have come.
“I think sometimes the negativity surrounding us will go away once we have won something again.
“I think there will always be that pressure on us but I feel like it’s starting to sway that way that we’re getting back to a level where people are believing in us and the country is backing us.
“A few years ago, it wasn’t like that. So we can be really proud of ourselves as a group. But we need to go again because ultimately, international football is based on what you win, we haven’t won for years so that is what we want to try and do.”
Rice wants Southgate reign to continue
Declan Rice reckons the “negativity” surrounding England will only disappear once the Three Lions actually win something.
Yet with the next major tournament in Germany just 19 months away, the West Ham midfielder is desperate for Gareth Southgate to stay as manager.
England’s next game is on March 23 2023 and a trip to Naples to face Italy in a Euro2024 qualifier.
Rice said: “We’ve come so far. I think that’s credit to the manager, the spirit that he’s brought to this team and togetherness that we’ve got. Personally, I hope he stays.
“There’s a lot of talk around the manager. I think he’s been brilliant for us. I think there’s a lot of criticism that’s not deserved. I think he’s taken us so, so far. Further than what people expected.
“I really hope he stays because of the core group that we’ve got and what he’s made for us. It’s so special to be a part of, I love playing under him and I love playing for England.
‘Justice’ was served, says Rabiot
France midfielder Adrien Rabiot has bizarrely claimed “justice” was served when Harry Kane missed his second penalty.
The world champions saw off Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions with a 2-1 victory in the World Cup quarter-finals.
With six minutes left on the clock, England were handed the chance to draw level, again from the penalty spot.
Theo Hernandez went through the back of Mason Mount but it took for VAR to intervene for the spot-kick to be awarded.
This time, Kane made a mess of his effort and sent his shot flying over the crossbar.
Such an outcome was “justice”, according to France ace Rabiot, who says “hundreds of actions” similar aren’t awarded.
The Juventus man said: “First of all, I’m not sure that it’s really a foul.
“We’ve seen hundreds of actions like that that aren’t given.
“Of course, when he’s missed, we were happy, it was justice because there was no penalty.”
Lineker claims England’s time will come
England legend Gary Lineker is convinced this current generation of young stars will lead the nation to glory.
He tweeted his support of the Three Lions stars.
The former striker wrote: “Heartbreaking once again, but no shame in losing to an excellent French team and congratulations to them.
“There was so little to choose between the two sides. This fine young @England team gave their all and will only get better.
“Their time will come.”
Their time will come.
Gary Lineker
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
