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      ‘Hold your heads up lions’ – Tyson Fury sends message of support to heartbroken England side after World Cup loss

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      TYSON FURY sent out a message of support to the heartbroken England squad after their World Cup KO. Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions were dumped out in the quarter-final stages following a 2-1 loss to France.
      Harry Kane of England looks dejected in defeatCredit: Getty
      Captain Harry Kane was left head in hands after missing a late penalty, which failed to pull England back level.
      But Kane and the rest of the beaten side were given a message of motivation from heroic heavyweight world champion Fury.
      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.”
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      He then referenced a famous quote from Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa character.
      Fury, 34, added: “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”
      England went behind on 17 minutes following a stunner from outside the box by Aurelien Tchouameni, 22.
      But Kane, 29, did level from the spot in the second half after Bukayo Saka was brought down in the box.
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      Ex-Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud, 36, did restore France’s lead ten minutes from time but the penalty drama was not over.
      Kane was given another chance to equalise from 12 yards when Mason Mount, 23, was shoved by Theo Hernandez, 25.
      But facing Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris, 35, for a second time, Kane blazed his effort over the bar.
      It proved decisive as England crashed out, but Spurs skipper Lloris has backed his club talisman to bounce back.
      He said: “Kane took the responsibility at a key moment in the match. Fortunately for the French team he missed.
      “I know he is strong and he may not think about it for too long. I can share this moment of pain with him. I didn’t speak to Harry after the match.”
      Harry Kane after missing England’s late penaltyCredit: Getty More

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      Jordan Pickford boards England team bus with custom family-themed backpack as he leaves Qatar hotel after World Cup KO

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      ENGLAND goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has wife Megan and son Arlo with him everywhere he goes.The 28-year-old stopper was seen sporting an adorable family-themed backpack as he boarded the bus for the airport after last night’s heartbreaking defeat to France.
      Jordan Pickford has an adorable family-themed custom backpackCredit: PA
      Pickford was superb between the sticks for England at the World CupCredit: Getty
      Pickford’s wife Megan flew out to support himCredit: Getty
      Pickord and Megan have a three-year-old son called ArloCredit: Getty
      Pickford was spotted with the custom bag as the Three Lions left their Souq Al Wakra hotel in Qatar.
      It shows a cute cartoon picture of himself and son Arlo, three, with Wembley Stadium in the background.
      He also has personalised badges of his own initials on the bag, plus “Megs” and “Arlo”.
      Megan, 26, and Arlo flew out to Qatar to cheer on Pickford at the World Cup.
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      They were in the stands for last night’s 2-1 loss to reigning champions France.
      Arlo went to the game with a sweet homemade sign that had pictures of Pickford on and the words: “Go daddy we love you.”
      Pickford and Megan are childhood sweethearts, having first met when they were at school.
      The pair welcomed Arlo in 2019, before they tied the knot a year later in a stunning Maldives ceremony.
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      Stopper Pickford didn’t put a foot wrong for the Three Lions in Qatar, and was powerless to prevent either of France’s goals on Saturday.
      Aurelien Tchouameni opened the scoring with an arrowed long-range strike into the bottom corner, before Olivier Giroud’s header took a deflection off Harry Maguire for the second.
      England skipper Harry Kane missed a late penalty to level the game up at 2-2, having earlier converted emphatically from the spot.
      Jude Bellingham pictured leaving England’s hotel in DohaCredit: PA
      The Three Lions headed home after being knocked out in the World Cup quarter-finalsCredit: Reuters
      Boss Gareth Southgate put an arm around Kieran Trippier as they left the hotelCredit: PA More

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      France keeper Hugo Lloris reveals he was ‘SADDENED’ by Harry Kane’s penalty miss but backs Spurs pal to bounce back

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      HUGO LLORIS insists Harry Kane has the strength of character to bounce back from his World Cup penalty agony.England skipper Kane was in tears after blasting his 83rd minute spot kick over the bar during Saturday’s cruel quarter-final defeat.
      Kane scored his first penalty against FranceCredit: Getty
      The striker blazed his second spot kick over the barCredit: Alamy
      Lloris comforted his Tottenham team-mate after the gameCredit: Rex
      And French captain Lloris refused to stick the boot in as he shrugged off suggestions that he had psyched out his Spurs team-mate.
      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.
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      “But I know that Harry is strong and that this hurt will pass for him.”
      Kane had already scored one penalty to equal Wayne Rooney’s 53-goal England international record. 
      But he was unable to repeat the feat for a second time on the night Lloris became the most capped player in French history.
      Lloris said: “It was a difficult match against a very, very good English team who deserve a lot of praise because it was a great battle right to the end.
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      “I was much more involved in this game than in any other match at this tournament, but that was only what we expected against these opponents.
      “I cannot hide the fact that it was a special evening for me to make my 143rd appearance for my country against the English, a country in which I have been playing for ten years.
      “This England team is very strong, their midfield created a lot of space, they were hard-hitting in attack and they have a number nine who is among the best in the world.
      “But we stayed strong in the storm, we were solid in the important moments and we hurt them when necessary.
      “It was a great reward for all our preparation for this match and we have to congratulate everyone for all their hard work.
      “The best way to celebrate that work was to win the game and this result has given us even more confidence for the semi-final against Morocco.” More

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      England fans have something to cheer as stats show Gareth Southgate’s young Lions should peak at World Cup 2026

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      ENGLAND may have crashed out of this year’s World Cup, but many fans are still optimistic about the future.The Three Lions’ World Cup campaign drew to a close following a 2-1 defeat to reigning champions France on Saturday.
      England crashed out of the World Cup on SaturdayCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      The Three Lions suffered a 2-1 defeat to FranceCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      England player agesPlayers that featured in Gareth Southgate’s 2022 World Cup squad:

      Jordan Pickford – 28
      Nick Pope – 30
      Aaron Ramsdale – 24
      Trent Alexander-Arnold – 24
      Conor Coady – 29
      Eric Dier – 28
      Harry Maguire – 29
      Luke Shaw – 27
      John Stones – 28
      Kieran Trippier – 32
      Kyle Walker – 32
      Ben White – 25
      Jude Bellingham – 19
      Conor Gallagher – 22
      Jordan Henderson – 32
      Mason Mount – 23
      Kalvin Phillips – 27
      Declan Rice – 23
      Phil Foden – 22
      Jack Grealish – 27
      Harry Kane – 29
      James Maddison – 26
      Marcus Rashford – 25
      Bukayo Saka – 21
      Raheem Sterling – 28
      Callum Wilson – 30

      Aurelien Tchouameni broke the deadlock in the first half with a superb long-range strike before Harry Kane levelled the score from the penalty spot.
      Olivier Giroud then went on to fire France back into the lead, but England struggled to get back into the game after Kane failed to convert his second spot kick with just six minutes to go in normal time.
      Despite the result, England put on a positive display with Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham creating numerous problems for Didier Deschamps’ side.
      And the performance has left many England fans optimistic about the future, especially as the majority of players in Gareth Southgate’s squad are yet to hit their prime.
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      The likes of Saka and Bellingham as well as Phil Foden, Declan Rice, Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all under the age of 25, so they will likely still be on top form come Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
      Players who failed to make the England squad for Qatar, such as Reece James and Jadon Sancho, will also be in their prime by the time the next major tournament comes around.
      Although the future looks bright for the Three Lions, Southgate has refused to confirm if he will continue as manager.
      Following Saturday’s defeat, he said: “I think whenever I’ve finished these tournaments I’ve needed time to make correct decisions because emotionally you go through so many different feelings and the energy that it takes through these tournaments is enormous.
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      “I want to make the right decision, whenever that is, for the team, for England, for the FA, and I’ve got to be sure whatever the decision I take is the right one.
      “I think it’s right to take a bit of time to do that because I know in the past how my feelings have fluctuated in the immediate aftermath of tournaments.”
      Southgate’s current England contract expires in December 2024.
      The Three Lions kick off their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign in March. More

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      Fans convinced Kyle Walker brutally snubbed Kylian Mbappe’s handshake in tunnel before World Cup quarter-final

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      FANS are convinced Kyle Walker brutally snubbed France ace Kylian Mbappe’s handshake in the tunnel before the World Cup quarter-final clash. As France and England’s players lined up before walking out at the Al Bayt Stadium, Mbappe appeared to extend his hand out in the direction of Walker.
      Mbappe extended his hand out towards WalkerCredit: BBC
      The England ace appeared to snub the handshakeCredit: BBC
      Mbappe awkwardly laughed off his embarrassmentCredit: BBC
      The Three Lions right-back – tasked with stopping fellow speed king Mbappe on Saturday – looked back in the Frenchman’s direction and seemingly snubbed his greeting.
      Mbappe awkwardly laughed off his embarrassment.
      One fan said on TikTok: “Mbappe got the last laugh.”
      Another said: “Mbappe did that on purpose, he saw the Kyle Walker interview.”
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      And Mbappe did get the last laugh as world champions France ran out 2-1 winners.
      England captain Harry Kane missed a golden chance to equalise from the penalty spot in the 84th minute, blasting his effort over the bar, leaving Mbappe in fits of laughter.
      Against Walker, though, Mbappe didn’t have the easiest of nights and was largely neutralised.
      French outlet L’Equipe also rated England’s Bukayo Saka as better than Mbappe on the night.
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      France will now face Morocco in the semis next Wednesday after the African underdogs toppled Portugal.
      A win could set up a rematch with 2018 finalists Croatia, who play Argentina on the opposite side of the knockout tree.
      Mbappe has one, possibly two, more games to extend his lead in the Golden Boot race.
      The 23-year-old has five goals, and is leading team-mate Olivier Giroud and Paris Saint-Germain pal Lionel Messi, who both have four.
      He could also end the tournament with the most assists, trailing charts topper Bruno Fernandes by one, having registered two in Qatar so far. More

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      Cristiano Ronaldo breaks silence in emotional statement after watching ‘beautiful World Cup dream’ fizzle in Morocco KO

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO has finally spoken out after his “biggest and most ambitious dream” of winning a World Cup ended.The 37-year-old failed to inspire Portugal to quarter-final victory off the bench against Morocco.
      Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears as Portugal were knocked out of the World CupCredit: Getty
      Ronaldo posted an emotional statement admitting his dream had endedCredit: Reuters
      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 Ronaldo will play on until then or if Portugal will still want him at that age.
      He was in tears as he made his way down the tunnel after losing 1-0 to Morocco in the quarter-finals.
      Ronaldo then wrote on Instagram this afternoon: “Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career. 
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      “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.”
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      After starting the first three games of the tournament, Ronaldo was benched for the last-16 win over Switzerland and the quarter-final defeat to Morocco.
      He was dropped after reacting angrily to being substituted in the 2-1 group stage loss to South Korea.
      But Ronaldo continued: “I just want everyone to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal has not changed for an instant. 
      “I was always one more person fighting for everyone’s goal and I would never turn my back on my teammates and my country.
      “For now, there’s not much more to say. Thank you, Portugal. Thank you, Qatar. The dream was beautiful while it lasted… Now, it’s time to be a good advisor and allow each one to draw their own conclusions.”
      Ronaldo is one of ten Portugal stars not returning to the country’s capital following yesterday’s defeat.
      He came off the bench six minutes into Saturday’s game, but struggled to make an impact.
      The forward managed just TEN touches of the ball in the time he was on the pitch.
      Ronaldo managed just 10 touches of the ball against Morocco More

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      Qatar World Cup has been huge success with fights and aggro of previous tournaments replaced by singing & dancing rivals

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      THIS is the World Cup they said could never work — but one which has run like clockwork.I was one of those who had doubts about a winter tournament, about playing it halfway through the season and about it being in Qatar.
      Crowd trouble has been replaced with more singing and dancingCredit: AFP
      Morocco fans created a racket inside grounds across DohaCredit: Getty
      Redknapp says the tournament has been a success so farCredit: Getty
      But it’s been a success you couldn’t have imagined.
      And despite all the scare stories beforehand, it has been a real enjoyment every way you look at it.
      Conditions have been fantastic for the players, it’s not been roasting hot and we’re not having stoppages every game to throw bottles of water over them.
      The football’s been great, we’ve had plenty of shocks — and as long as it doesn’t include England, we always love that — but most of all it has been fun.
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      One of the huge things that sticks out for me is how everyone — and I mean EVERYONE — is saying how safe it’s been.
      Look, we all know the issues about having it in Qatar, and I’m not going to sit here and start saying everything there is rosy.
      But, in terms of this tournament, I think back to how everyone was kicking off at the thought of not being able to have a drink at the games, and it’s laughable.
      Yes, there’s a different culture towards drinking over there.
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      But it’s their culture, their country and you can’t say it hasn’t been a better World Cup all round because of it.
      Has everyone forgotten those scenes at Wembley for the Euro final?
      What about all the fighting in France in 2016?
      How many times have the headlines been about fighting and aggro?
      And it’s always when people have been on the drink.
      We could take a big leaf out of their book in terms of the approach to it, although I’m not daft enough to think we will change our mentality over it.
      But this will go down as the World Cup when we all felt so safe, where the fans were behaving and we weren’t rattling up the number of arrests.
      Supporters are still lighting up the stadiums, singing and dancing on the Metro and in the streets, where women, kids, and families are having the time of their lives.
      In fact it’s been such a success that I’d have no problem with the Middle East staging the World Cup again — or with it being in the middle of our season either.
      And on the pitch there have been some huge shocks. Who thought Morocco would win their group and Belgium go out? Or Japan would beat Spain AND Germany.
      There was one of the biggest upsets ever when Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia and Cameroon became the first African nation ever to beat Brazil.
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      Of course, the big names have stood out like we always hoped and thought they would.
      Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo… they’ve all been headline news at one stage or another.
      But the one player to leave a huge impression on me is Harry Souttar, the centre-half born in Scotland who plays for Stoke and was sensational for Australia.
      If I was still a Premier League manager, he’d be the one I’d be trying to sign.
      I saw him three years ago on loan at Fleetwood and thought he had a real chance then and have kept an eye on him ever since.
      He got a real bad injury a year ago and only came back just before the World Cup.
      Harry’s 6ft 6in, quick, strong, he can pass a ball and knows the English game – he’d be a great buy for someone.
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      He reminds me of Dan Burn, who went round the houses on loan, went to Brighton and then ended up at Newcastle and everyone’s raving about him.
      But, all in all, it will go down as a fantastic World Cup — and the great thing is we’ve still got another week to go!
      Stoke’s Souttar impressed RedknappCredit: PA
      Fans were on their best behaviourCredit: Getty
      England crashed out in the quarter-finalsCredit: PA
      Senegal fans came with props and paintCredit: Getty More

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      I’m gutted for Kane after England World Cup heartbreak but Saka WAS fouled in build up to France opener, says Wilshere

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      I AM devastated for the England lads.They gave it everything and Harry Kane is really going to be hurting for a very long time after missing that penalty.
      Harry Kane missed a late penalty for England against FranceCredit: Getty
      The Three Lions were beaten 2-1 in the World Cup quarter-finalsCredit: Getty
      Unfortunately football can be very cruel and this emerging England team, which shows so much promise, will have to wait another 18 months or so for a chance to win an elusive trophy at the Euros.
      It was opening up for us with Morocco in the semi-finals, we were getting close to glory.
      But my old Arsenal mate Olivier Giroud turned out to be the match-winner.
      To be honest, it wasn’t one of his better games.
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      We contained him and Kylian Mbappe pretty well.
      Sadly, as I warned Sun readers in my pre-match column, Olivier is a man to be reckoned with.
      And that header of his was classic Giroud — getting ahead of defenders to make them pay.
      It’s hard to take in that we lost, because for all we were one down at half-time, I still felt comfortable.
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      We’d certainly shown enough going forward.
      Kane looked good and was unlucky with that close-range effort which his club-mate Hugo Lloris did well to come out and smother.
      We were also probing down the flanks and you felt at any moment we might just get the break we needed.
      Phil Foden was getting on the ball and Bukayo Saka was driving at them.
      But, equally, Antoine Griezmann was class in the French midfield.
      He was finding space all over the park and everything was going through him.
      His link-up play was top drawer and at times England didn’t seem to know how to deal with him.
      But he was getting away with a few fouls and the booking he eventually got was deserved.
      While I thought Mbappe was relatively quiet, the way he wrestled his way clear to help set up their first goal showed how he doesn’t need much of a chance to hurt you.
      Even when the ball went back to Aurelien Tchouameni, I doubt fans were too worried.
      In fact I was thinking, ‘Go on then, hit it from there’.
      It seemed a heck of a long way out to have a go, we had plenty of bodies in the way — and while the Real Madrid star is a fine defensive midfielder — he’s not noted for his goalscoring.
      But you have to hand it to him for the strike.
      It was a beauty and somehow it found a way through to beat Jordan Pickford, who may have been unsighted as Tchouameni swung his boot.
      There’s always something you can do to try to prevent a goal — and you could argue England should have closed him down better.
      But the chances of scoring from there were not high.
      That said, Saka was definitely fouled at the start of the move, he’s so good at drawing those fouls but he’s an honest player.
      My kids were going absolutely mad at the injustice of it.
      The referee did not award a foul for this challenge on Bukayo SakaCredit: Getty
      Dayot Upamecano appeared to bundle Saka overCredit: Getty
      There was a foul on Kane as well — with big calls for a penalty — but for me it was just outside the box.
      We got on the front foot again after the break and while Olivier got that second goal for France, I still believed we could get back into it.
      And we had the chance with Harry’s penalty.
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      You don’t expect him to miss, he’s so good.
      It will be no consolation to Harry — but it happens to the best of them.
      A devastated Kane reacts at full-timeCredit: Getty More