England are out of the FIFA World Cup as the reigning champions, France, came out on top 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
The Three Lions had possession of the ball for most of the match, but goals from Aurélien Tchouaméni and Olivier Giroud secured France’s place in the semi-finals.
Tchouaméni scored in the 17th minute with a stunning strike from outside the box. The 30-yard goal set France ahead until the second half of the match.
England captain Harry Kane leveled the score in the 54th minute with a penalty. But Giroud, assisted by Antoine Griezmann scored in the 78th minute which ultimately secured England’s defeat.
England miss a crucial late penalty
Kane had the chance to equalise the score with a late penalty but fired over the bar from 12 yards away. The 84th minute penalty was a crucial miss and could have changed England’s fate.
Kane took responsibility for the miss on Twitter. He said: “There’s no hiding from it, it hurts and it’ll take some time to get over it but that’s part of sport.”
The team saw a few near misses particularly as Harry Maguire sent a header wide in the 70th minute.
Maguire criticised referee Wilton Pereira’s performance in the game as “really poor” following his decision to allow Tchouaméni’s opening goal. The build-up to the goal saw an obvious foul against Bukayo Saka but no penalty was awarded.
England’s frustrations against Pereira were notable throughout. Maguire commented after the match: “He never gave us anything.”
France progress to World Cup semi-finals
France have advanced to the semi-final and will play Morocco, who had a surprising victory against Portugal on Saturday. The match will kick off on Wednesday, giving both teams a chance at playing Argentina or Croatia in the FIFA World Cup final.
The future for the England team is unclear. England Manager, Gareth Southgate said he is unsure on whether to continue managing the team after the heart-breaking defeat.
“I want to make the right decision, whatever that is – for the team, for England, for the FA. And I’ve got to be sure that whatever decision I make is the right one,” Southgate told SKY Sports.
