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

‘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:

Latest news and reaction as England exit World Cup

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England return home – but football isn’t coming with them

The England team headed back to the UK today after their dreams of winning the World Cup were smashed.

A 2-1 loss to France knocked out the side from the tournament, with a missed penalty by Harry Kane breaking hearts across the nation.

Footage shows the solemn-looking England squad boarding their bus at the Souk al-Wakra hotel, which has been their home throughout the tournament in Qatar.

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

The England team are heading back to the UK after their dreams of winning World Cup 2022 were smashed. This footage shows the solemn-looking squad boarding their bus at the Souk al-Wakra hotel, which has been their home throughout the tournament. A 2-1 loss to France knocked out the side from the tournament, with a missed penalty by Harry Kane breaking hearts across the nation. France will now face Morocco on 14 December in the semi-final. Click here to sign up for our newsletters.

Alex Pattle11 December 2022 18:00

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How England’s players rated at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

England exited the World Cup after a 2-1 quarter-final loss to reigning champions France at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday evening.

Gareth Southgate’s side were unable to match their run to the last four in 2018 and returned home from Qatar the morning after their defeat.

Here, the PA news agency rates the performances of the squad members who played some part in taking England to the quarter-final stage:

PA Sports Staff11 December 2022 17:44

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Cristiano Ronaldo says his dream of winning World Cup has ‘ended’

Cristiano Ronaldo said in a cryptic social media post that his dream of winning the World Cup with Portugal has ended, while stopping short of announcing his retirement from international duty.

The 37-year-old Ronaldo left the field in tears after Portugal lost 1-0 to Morocco in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

In his first comments after the elimination, Ronaldo said Sunday that it was “time to take stock” without saying explicitly if he wants to carry on being available for Portugal.

“There’s no point in reacting rashly,” Ronaldo wrote. “I just want everybody to know that a lot has been said, a lot has been written, a lot has been speculated about, but my dedication to Portugal has never wavered for an instant.

“I’ve always been just one more [Portuguese] fighting for everyone’s goal. I would never turn my back on my teammates or my country.”

Alex Pattle11 December 2022 17:25

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Gareth Southgate ponders his England future but has ‘few regrets’ from World Cup

England manager Gareth Southgate is considering his future but left Qatar with few regrets following the crushing World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of France.

The 52-year-old has a contract until the European Championship in 2024 but wants to ensure he has the energy required to go again and that the decision is right for the team.

“I think whenever I finish these tournaments, I’ve needed time to make correct decisions,” Southgate said. “Emotionally you go through so many different feelings. The energy it takes through these tournaments is enormous.

“I want to make the right decision, whatever that is for the team, for England, for the FA. I’ve got to be sure whatever decision I make is the right one.

“I think it’s right to take time to do that because I know in the past my feelings have fluctuated in the immediate aftermath of tournaments.”

Alex Pattle11 December 2022 17:11

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World Cup: The best moments so far from Lionel Messi magic and shock upsets to group stage drama

Ahead of the quarter-finals, we compiled our ‘best moments’ of the World Cup so far. Here are a couple of examples…

Miguel Delaney, Chief Football Writer: Germany stand up to Fifa and Messi’s magic against Mexico

The manner that Germany’s admirable silence gesture has provoked angry responses reflects a victory greater than anything happened on the pitch, but this is ultimately about the pitch. There are many moments, the World Cup transcending its problematic stage in the way it often does, from Morocco’s rise to Richarlison’s acrobatics. In terms of its historic weight and emotion, though, there was something even more transcendental about Leo Messi’s goal against Mexico. The strike itself was divine, with its beauty made all the better because it was such a defining moment, rescuing Argentina after the shock of Saudi Arabia, and setting them on a new path – perhaps destiny. Fittingly, in the moments after such a release, Messi showed his relief in a manner even more freighted with grandeur. “Thank you, Diego.” It was a moment of private prayer, amid the most raucous public atmosphere.

Richard Jolly, Senior Football Correspondent: Ghana’s thrilling victory over South Korea

Ghana versus South Korea might not have stood out on the fixture list. But, like the Cameroon-Serbia match earlier that afternoon, it was both high drama and a prime example of what the World Cup should be about, a chaotic classic played by teams from different continents who rarely meet, amid an atmosphere of mutual excitement. Ghana surged into a lead, South Korea mounted a fightback, the outstanding Mohammed Kudus scored the winner and Son Heung-Min ended up in tears, thinking his side were out. And in the end, they qualified for the last 16 and compellingly fun Ghanaians did not.

World Cup: The best moments so far

Amid controversy and continued human rights concerns surrounding Fifa and Qatar off the pitch, it’s been an exhilarating ride so far on it

Alex Pattle11 December 2022 16:52

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‘It’s my fault’: Harry Kane discusses penalty miss after England exit World Cup

For his second penalty against France, Harry Kane seemed to get into a poker match with club teammate Hugo Lloris after scoring his first, and it raised questions over whether someone else should have stepped up.

“I’m someone who prepares to take one or two penalties in the same game,” Kane said. “So I can’t blame my preparation.

“I felt as confident in the second as in the first, but it was 100 per cent the execution. It’s my fault.

“Obviously it hurts now and it will hurt for a while, but it’s part of being the captain and leader of the team. You have to take responsibility and I take it today.”

Alex Pattle11 December 2022 16:35

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‘The world is with Morocco’ on uncharted course through World Cup

For Walid Regragui, it was not enough to contemplate one underdog whose improbable path led to a bid to become world champions. His thoughts turned to another. Morocco had become Africa’s first ever semi-finalists on the global stage and their manager turned his thoughts to another sport.

“We have made our people proud and our continent proud and so many people around the world proud,” he said. “When you watch Rocky you want to support Rocky Balboa and we are the Rocky of the World Cup.”

One unlikely story began in the backstreets of Philadelphia. Another stemmed from Montreal, Madrid and Morocco, given the importance of their diaspora. They have found fans in Africa and the Arab world. Morocco see themselves as the people’s champions. In a part of the world where it seemed the preference was for the rich and famous, for Brazil and Argentina as teams, for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as players, they are the outsiders who have captured the imagination.

Richard Jolly11 December 2022 16:17

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‘It’s really hard to take’: England players devastated as World Cup hopes end

Declan 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.

Miguel Delaney11 December 2022 15:59

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Kylian Mbappe is the world’s best decoy as Kyle Walker wins battle but loses war

Kyle 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.

Lawrence Ostlere11 December 2022 15:45

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How French media reacted to France’s victory over England

La 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