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    Ben White joins up with Arsenal in Dubai on day of England’s World Cup exit following reports of ‘bust up’

    BEN WHITE has returned to Arsenal training after withdrawing from the England camp earlier this month.The Gunners defender has joined his team-mates in Dubai, having left the Three Lions squad on November 30 for personal reasons.
    Ben White left the England camp for ‘personal reasons’Credit: PA
    White is back training with Arsenal in the Middle EastCredit: Getty
    England boss Gareth Southgate played down reports that the former Brighton man had left following a bust-up with assistant Steve Holland.
    White arrived in the Middle East on Saturday before taking part in his first session with the squad on Sunday ahead of their friendly against AC Milan on Tuesday at the Al-Maktoum Stadium.
    Ghana international Thomas Partey has also returned to train with the club after failing to make it out of the group in Qatar, while USA goalkeeper Matt Turner is back after being knocked out in the last-16 by the Netherlands.
    All three could be involved against AC Milan on Tuesday night.
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    Granit Xhaka, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Martinelli are all expected to return to training this week ahead of the Premier League’s return after Christmas.
    It is not clear when England duo Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale will rejoin their club team-mates, though they are expected to be given some holiday time before returning.
    Oleksandr Zinchenko was not part of the main group training in Dubai as he continues to recover from a small calf problem.
    The injury is not connected to the calf problem the former Manchester City man suffered in September which saw him out for a month.
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    The Gunners are confident that the Ukraine international will be fit for the Premier League’s return, with Arsenal back in action on Boxing Day when they host London rivals West Ham.
    Before then they face two friendlies against Italian clubs, AC Milan in Dubai before hosting Juventus at The Emirates on December 17. More

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    England heroes including Jack Grealish, Harry Maguire and Phil Foden leave Qatar after painful France loss

    DEVASTATED England stars have been pictured leaving their Qatar World Cup base after the painful loss to France. The Three Lions fell to a 2-1 defeat against a depleted French team with Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud scoring.
    Southgate with an arm around TrippierCredit: PA
    Grealish leaving England’s World Cup base in DohaCredit: Reuters
    The England ace was visibly devastatedCredit: Reuters
    Maguire boarding an England busCredit: Reuters
    Maguire is set to return to Man UtdCredit: Reuters
    Captain Harry Kane got the goal for England but missed a spot-kick to draw level in the 84th minute and potentially send the game to extra-time.
    France will now go on to face World Cup dark horses Morocco next Wednesday for a spot in the final.

    And England’s stars looked understandably glum as they left their base in Qatar.
    They are now set to return to their respective clubs and prepare for the return of top-flight domestic football.
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    However, it is not clear how long they will get off before returning to club duty.
    England manager Gareth Southgate’s future is up in the air despite having a contract until after Euro 2024.
    Captain Kane has come out in support of Southgate staying on.
    However, the 52-year-old will now go away and make a decision.
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    England’s for and against World Cup stats
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    Kane said: “I think it has been a really positive tournament.
    “Of course, it has ended now in the quarter-final and it felt like we could have done more.
    “If you look at the performances and the way the team has been, it has been exciting to watch. I think we have a really bright future.
    “We love having Gareth as a manager. We want him to stay for sure but that’s his decision. I am sure he will go away and think about that.
    “We’ve got a great team, great young players, players coming into their prime and we’ve got a Euros not too far away. As much as this hurts, we have to move on and look forward to that.
    “He hasn’t spoken about it; I haven’t spoken to him about it. Like I said, now we are hurting and rightly so.
    “He will go away and think about that. That’s his decision. He will talk to his family and friends and make that decision. From the players’ point of view, we are really happy with the manager.”
    City ace Foden also departedCredit: Reuters
    Maddison hugging WalkerCredit: PA
    Bellingham getting onto the team busCredit: PA
    Phillips had limited minutes in QatarCredit: PA
    Shaw (middle) is one of Southgate’s mainstaysCredit: PA More

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    Watch heartwarming moment Bellingham sprinted to console Kane after penalty miss that saw England crash out of World Cup

    JUDE BELLINGHAM showed maturity beyond his years as he sprinted to console England captain Harry Kane after his dramatic penalty miss against France.The Three Lions’ World Cup dream came to an end in the quarters at the hands of the reigning world champions.
    Bellingham ran up to his captain to console himCredit: Getty
    Aurelien Tchouameni opened the scoring early on in the first half.
    Kane grabbed the equaliser from the penalty spot but Olivier Giroud later restored France’s lead with an expert header.
    But with six minutes left on the clock, England were handed the chance to draw level, again from the penalty spot.
    This time, Kane made a mess of his effort and sent his shot flying over the crossbar.
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    While other England team-mates had their heads in their hands, and reset back into shape, Bellingham sprinted to console his captain.
    One fan said: “Bellingham the one to console Kane after the penalty miss. Bellingham to one barking orders in the dying seconds.
    “This kid is going to captain England one day. He’s already a leader.”
    Another said: “Loved Bellingham running straight over to Kane after he missed. What an absolute baller.”
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    England have missed out on a semi-final date with dark horses Morocco.
    They became the FIRST African country to reach the last four of the World Cup after they beat Portugal 1-0.
    Morocco are yet to concede from an opposition player.
    The only goal counted against them was scored by one of their own, Nayef Aguerd.
    Morocco play France next Wednesday, and the winner of that clash will face either Croatia or Argentina. More

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    England fans spend £350million on booze in pubs as they drown their misery as Three Lions crash out of World Cup

    ENGLAND fans launched into a massive World Cup party last night — but ended up drowning their misery as France emerged triumphant.There were despairing scenes as Gareth Southgate’s side crashed out of the competition against the defending champions.
    A Three Lions fan holds his head in his hands after more World Cup tormentCredit: Jamie Lashmar / Story Picture Agency
    One England fan sporting a No.22 shirt finds it all too tough to watchCredit: i-Images
    Fans think it’s all over as another decision goes against the Three LionsCredit: Jake Lindley / Story Picture Agency
    Punters had packed 30,000 pubs across the country and spent £350million during the quarter-final match, according to research firm GlobalData.
    Pubs and clubs threw open their doors for the knockout game as beer sales rocketed by 50 per cent on boozers’ busiest day since December 2019 — before the Covid pandemic.
    Some 23 million tuned in to watch England’s showdown with Didier Deschamps’ France side — the biggest TV sports audience since last year’s Euro 2020 final, which saw 31 million see the Three Lions lose to Italy on penalties.
    The British Beer and Pub Association said the 7pm kick-off encouraged punters to fill up their locals earlier and stay for longer.
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    The surge in pub sales came despite a “big freeze” triggering the RAC to tell fans to avoid roads and walk to their local instead.
    Meanwhile, thousands of supporters flooded special screenings of the game across the country.
    But one bar in Birmingham was mocked online after blowing up red, white and blue balloons for the event — the shades of the French tricolour flag.
    England fan Harry Barnes said: “Walkabout in Birmingham bringing out balloons in the French colours saying ‘it’s the Union Jack’.
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    “It’s like the staff didn’t realise it was England playing, not the UK.”
    Former Three Lions stars Teddy Sheringham, 56, and David Seaman, 59, were among guests at fanzones, with supporters belting out karaoke hits such as Gala’s Freed From Desire before kick-off.
    Some 7,000 packed Manchester’s sold-out Road to Victory fanzone, while 2,000 fans flocked to Boxpark in Wembley, West London.
    Over 1,300 supporters in Newcastle queued for hours in freezing conditions after gathering as early as 1pm, six hours before the game.
    Fanzone manager Tom Brodie, 28, said: “We ordered in extra beer especially for the game. Most of it has been spilled on the floor. We’d already sold more than 3,000 pints before the game had even started.
    “There’s been a party atmosphere all day in here. The only downside is that all of our England flags have been nicked!”
    Pints finally flew as captain Harry Kane smashed home a thunderous penalty in the 54th minute.
    The goal made Kane all-time top England goal scorer with Wayne Rooney — tied on 53 goals.
    But he could not repeat the effort, missing a second penalty and leaving even former England captain David Beckham looking dejected in the stands.
    Wags including Kyle Walker’s girlfriend Annie Kilner — all wearing England shirts to cheer on their lads — could not hide their disappointment.
    But Paris erupted with joy last night as crowds celebrated the victory against England.
    Renditions of the national anthem, La Marseillaise, and Allez Les Bleus, could be heard across the freezing cold streets of the capital.
    Caroline Milou, 30, had tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, marked with the red, white and blue of the tricolour.
    She said: “If we beat England, we win the cup. We love Britain, but this is our night!”
    Caroline was celebrating in the Frog & Rosbif pub, which was packed with around 300 fans of both countries during the game.
    Luc Roncayloco, 21, said: “It was our night! I am so happy. Mbappe was superb, but so was Giroud. It was a great performance.”
    England fan Autumn Lumb, 26, was in the pub with an England flag draped around her.
    She could not hide her disappointment and said: “I knew as soon as Kane stepped up for the penalty he was going to miss.”
    George Pittard, 26, from London, said: “It’s really disappointing but expected. Kane scored one, but then missed — it’s Spurs isn’t it.”
    Meanwhile, hundreds of French fans swarmed central London to cheer on Les Bleus using an app called Frogs in London.
    The lifestyle app hosted a special screening at Zoo Bar in Leicester Square, which was “taken over” by more than 700 French expats.
    Tricolours were draped over the walls while boozy punters dined on French food and drink.
    Yohann Proveur, 29, who lives in South Kensington, said: “I live in England and have English friends, but I must be fully French today.”
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    One England fan seen walking past a venue full of French supporters warned: “We’re going to batter you.”
    But it was not to be.
    Kyle Walker’s girlfriend Annie Kilner can’t stand the pressureCredit: World Cup News Pool (WCNP) – England vs France
    David Beckham looks down and out as the game draws to an end
    Fans in Croydon hold their breath as England miss another chance against FranceCredit: PA
    A fan in Blackpool gasps as yet another decision goes against EnglandCredit: Rex More

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    England fans left seething at Kylian Mbappe’s reaction to Harry Kane’s skied penalty in World Cup heartbreaker vs France

    ENGLAND fans fumed at Kylian Mbappe after he laughed in reaction to Harry Kane’s penalty miss.Kane blazed over from 12 yards and it proved costly as France beat England 2-1 to secure a place in the World Cup semi-final where they will meet Morocco.
    Kylian Mbappe burst out laughing after Harry Kane missed a penalty
    Harry Kane skied from 12 yards after netting his first penaltyCredit: Getty

    Earlier in the half the England captain beat Hugo Lloris with a spot-kick to equalise.
    But he could not repeat the trick after Mason Mount was bundled over in the penalty area.
    A delighted Mbappe burst out laughing as he watched the ball sail over the bar.
    England fans were angered by his behaviour and took to social media to slam the France superstar.
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    One supporter wrote: “Mbappe laughing shows what kind of idiot he is.”
    Another added: “I actually dislike Mbappe, he’s so annoying.”
    And a third said: “I used to love Mbappe, but his childish reaction to Kane’s miss was nasty.”
    Another remarked: “Probs laughing because everyone’s been hyping him up and he’s ghosted all game but still gonna go through.”
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    Olivier Giroud also celebrated passionately and almost went right up to Kane’s face before a team-mate intervened.
    The England captain was quickly consoled by Jude Bellingham but the Three Lions could not find a way back into the game. More

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    Harry Maguire slams ‘really poor’ ref for England’s World Cup KO and bemoans ‘incredible amount of wrong decisions’

    HARRY MAGUIRE has slated the referee’s performance, after England crashed out to France in the World Cup.The Three Lions lost 2-1 to the world champions in Qatar in a tightly contested game, and can feel hard done by with some of the referee’s decisions.
    Harry Maguire has slammed referee Wilton Sampaio’s performanceCredit: Alamy
    In the build up to France’s opener from Aurelien Tchouameni, Gareth Southgate’s side felt they should have had a free kick on Bukayo Saka.
    Later on in the first half, there was a penalty shout reviewed by VAR after Harry Kane appeared to be tripped – but nothing was given.
    After the game, Man Utd star Maguire questioned Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio’s performance.
    He said: “I can’t really explain his performance – the number of decisions he got wrong was actually incredible. Really poor.”
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    Despite their exit, Kane and Co were the better team in the contest.
    And Maguire believes that England have shown that they are a more consistent big tournament team.
    Maguire continued: “I’m really proud of the lads, we have given everything.
    “This is tournament football with big moments win big matches and I felt we were the better team throughout the night, we controlled the game from minute one. They scored from 30 yards and were clinical with the second one.
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    Downbeat Maguire believes England should take a lot of positives from defeatCredit: Getty
    “We had a lot of chances and dominated the possession. We have showed over a four or five-year period no that we belong in these big games.
    “The lads are going to be hurt and disappointed but I really believe that this country has turned the corner now and we belong on this stage, in the late stages of these knockout tournaments.
    “If we can take anything from the game our performance shows that.”
    France may have gone into the game as slight favourites, but Maguire revealed England’s camp were confident they could have gone all the way in the tournament.
    He said: “We fully believed that we would win the game. We had great belief in our dressing room that we would win the tournament and that’s not arrogance.
    “We had started to control games, which we hadn’t done in the past so we had a great opportunity to win the tournament. It really does hurt but these players will get another opportunity.”
    After the defeat, boss Southgate’s future has become a topic of conversation and whether he will continue in his role.
    He has come under a lot of stick for his selections in the past, but Maguire said Maguire has the backing of his players.
    “From one to 11, the players absolutely love Gareth. He has been amazing with each and every one of us,” he said.
    “I know a lot of people have different opinions and when he picks his team he gets a lot of stick but you can see how far this team has come over his period of management.
    “He knows what it takes to win these big matches. The performance was there but we lacked a little bit of clinicalness.”
    England will feel hard done by following their exit from competition.
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    After equalising in the second half from a Kane penalty, they fell behind to a Olivier Giroud header.
    Kane had the opportunity to score from the spot late on to potentially take the game into extra-time, however he blazed over from 12-yards and England’s hopes had faded.
    Harry Kane is consoled after England’s defeatCredit: Getty More

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    Gareth Southgate breaks silence on his future as England boss after World Cup heartbreak against France

    GARETH SOUTHGATE remained coy about his future as England manager after suffering World Cup elimination.The Three Lions suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to France in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals at the Al Bayt Stadium.
    England manager Gareth Southgate remained coy about his futureCredit: Reuters
    Les Bleus 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.
    Southgate has a contract until 2024 but his future still appears to remain up for discussion after another World Cup heartbreak for England.
    The 52-year-old confirmed there will be talks with the FA once the team flies back from Qatar and a decision will later be made.
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    Southgate said in his post-match interview: “After every tournament we have sat and reviewed and reflected and that needs a bit of time to make sure everyone makes the right decisions.”
    The England manager praised his players’ performance and insists they deserved better as they “couldn’t have given any more”.
    Southgate added: “The performance deserved better but in the end goals are decisive.
    “I just said to the players they couldn’t have given any more. They played really well against a top team. There’s fine margins and things at both ends that decided the game.
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    “The way this group has progressed through this tournament has been fantastic.”
    Southgate insists the reason behind England’s elimination is not down to them “lacking ruthlessness” against France.
    He said when asked if his players lacked a ruthless edge: “No. At key moments, you’re playing a high level game where chances will be created.
    “And in most of the big moments we were in the right place. We had more shots on goal, our keeper has made a couple of good saves for us but it was a game of fine margins.”
    Southgate also defended Kane after his penalty miss.
    He said: “We win and lose as a team. We let a couple in and missed a few chances.
    “Harry has been incredible for us and so reliable in those sorts of situations.
    “We wouldn’t be here but the number of goals he has scored for us.”
    England put together a brave performance against France but suffered some questionable decisions by referee Wilton Sampaio.
    Southgate, though, refused to be dragged into all the criticism as he considers such talk to be “pointless”.
    He stated: “It’s pointless me going into that. I’d rather talk about our players and to congratulate France – they know they’ve been in a hell of a game. We have given a top team a game. We couldn’t have done any more.”
    However, Southgate conceded that England missed a major opportunity to win the World Cup.
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    He added: “Yeah. We were here to win the tournament.
    “We believed we could and we showed with our performance tonight against the reigning champions that we could have done that.”
    Kane was comforted by Southgate after the defeat to FranceCredit: AP More

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    ‘Don’t want to be an Arsenal fan’ – Gunners tweet after England’s defeat to France sparks furious supporter backlash

    ENGLAND fans went in two-footed on Arsenal after a tweet they sent out following the heartbreaking World Cup defeat to France.The Three Lions were knocked out as Olivier Giroud secured Les Bleus a 2-1 win to seal a semi-final spot.
    Arsenal sent out this tweet just seconds after France beat EnglandCredit: Twitter
    The Three Lions were left devastated after their World Cup exitCredit: Getty
    But the defeat was made even more painful as skipper Harry Kane, who had equalised earlier from the spot, blasted a late penalty over the bar.
    The striker and his team-mates were left in tears following the final whistle – but the North London-based club had other things on their mind.
    Despite Bukayo Saka, who was fouled in the build-up to France’s opener, and Aaran Ramsdale both being part of the England squad, they shared a photo of Frenchman William Saliba with his country’s flag decked around his neck.
    And Arsenal captioned the tweet with: “Our Wilo. A World Cup semi-finalist.”
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    Supporters instantly hit back at the Premier League leaders’ Twitter account as they blasted the tweet.
    “Not your finest decision posting this,” blasted one as another said: “Read the room.”
    A fellow footy fan wrote: “I wouldn’t want to be an Arsenal fan right now.”
    “Pathetic,” slammed another. “You’re an English team.”
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    Those sentiments were echoed by hundreds more, with a fellow Twitter user saying: “This is not the time for an English club to even ‘think’ about doing this. I am extremely disappointed.”
    While another said: “Sometimes it’s good to take a breath before pressing post these situations. What were they thinking?”
    The 21-year-old Saliba is part of Didier Deschamps’ squad in Qatar.
    However, his only appearance at the World Cup came in their final dead-rubber group match where France were defeated 1-0 by Tunisia. More