‘Not coming home’: England squad return to UK after World Cup dreams dashed
England return home with their 2022 World Cup dream on the line after Saturday night’s 2-1 defeat by France. Harry Kane scored a penalty to equalize 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 down to the stage of quarter finals.
The England captain was exhausted after the game and accepted responsibility for the failure, but manager Gareth Southgate backed his striker to put in big performances along the way. The manager, however, stopped short of clarifying his own future with the team, saying time was needed before making any decisions.
Meanwhile, the referee’s performance was criticized and supporters 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 Qatar 2022 news below:
Latest news and reaction when England leave the World Cup
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“The world is with Morocco” on an uncharted path to the World Cup
For Walid Regragui, it wasn’t enough to watch an underdog whose unlikely path led to trying to become world champion. His thoughts turned elsewhere. Morocco had become Africa’s first semi-finalist on the world stage and their coach turned his thoughts to another sport.
“We have made our people proud and our continent proud, and so many people around the world,” he said. “When you watch Rocky you want to root for Rocky Balboa and we’re the Rocky of the World Cup.”
An unlikely story began in the back alleys of Philadelphia. Another emerged from Montreal, Madrid and Morocco, given the importance of its diaspora. They have found fans in Africa and the Arab world. Morocco sees itself as the people’s champions. In a part of the world where the preference seemed to be for the rich and famous, for Brazil and Argentina as teams, for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as players, it is the outsiders who have captured the imagination.
Richard Jolly December 11, 2022 4:17 p.m
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‘It’s very hard to take’: England players devastated as World Cup hopes end
Declan Rice says he is ‘dismayed’ as England really believed this was going to be their year and the ‘best team lost’, as he expresses the team’s desire for Gareth Southgate to stay on as manager as he has created something “special” that players “love”. be involved with
The midfielder believed Southgate had been “on point” in terms of game plan in the 2-1 quarter-final defeat to France, especially as Kylian Mbappe was so “calm” and both goals came against the game. Similarly, Rice said England were “not happy” with some of the decisions, but did not want to say anything else about the referee.
“I think you can see it in my face right now that I’m upset because we really think this year could be our year,” he said.
Miguel Delaney December 11, 2022 3:59 p.m
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Kylian Mbappe is the best decoy in the world while Kyle Walker wins the battle but loses the war
Kyle Walker put his head down, opened his lungs and ran. This was exactly the kind of run he needed to make on the team, a quick gain in field length to regain his position, and yet he knew this was a run already lost. Kylian Mbappe had not followed him deep into French territory, and now Mbappe had the ball, was dribbling, and Walker had left his station unattended.
It hadn’t started that way. France kicked off and immediately switched the ball to Mbappé who was advancing down the wing where Walker met him with a crunch. As France settled with the ball in the opening forays, Mbappe lurked on the wings, flying in and out with deceptively small steps as Walker stood warily a few yards inside, glancing coquettishly over his shoulder, both driving their own dance away. of the rest
Mbappe remained in Walker’s sights until the moment he stopped looking. England went forward down the right and Walker took an excursion. He passed Bukayo Saka and went further into the French area, looking for a return. It never came, and by the time he made that long sprint back to his defensive marker, Mbappe had already traveled down the pitch shrugging off Declan Rice’s lunge as he went. There he drew the attention of the English defenders on the edge of the box as Antoine Griezmann set up Aurelien Tchouameni to fire in France’s opener.
Lawrence Ostlere December 11, 2022 3:45 pm
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How the French media reacted to France’s victory over England
La Croix claimed that France “can count themselves lucky” after reaching the World Cup semi-finals, while Le Monde wrote that France “struggled” to get past England.
“Crunchy” was the headline used by L’Equipe after France conceded both penalties and, as Harry Maguire and many England fans believed, were lucky to get away with many other challenges.
Meanwhile, ESPN France’s Julien Laurens said that “the winning team is not always the best,” although he credited France with finding a way to win.
It was a sentiment echoed by France coach Didier Deschamps, who said after the game: “Sometimes you need a bit of luck.”
Alex Pattle December 11, 2022 3:31 p.m
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England World Cup 2026 Squad Prediction
The oldest player in England’s Euro 2020 squad was also the oldest in their World Cup 2022 squad. And while Kyle Walker may also have been the fastest, there’s a chance a flying 36-year-old could still be England’s fastest footballer when the next World Cup begins.
But Walker’s World Cup career most likely ended with his superb display against Kylian Mbappe on Saturday. You won’t be alone in this. England’s age profile looked almost perfect for Euro 2020 and this World Cup. They have little need for a major overhaul ahead of Euro 2024. But by the time, assuming they qualify, they cross the Atlantic in 2026, it will be with a different roster. A different manager and Gareth Southgate’s eventual successor, either now or in 2024, will probably also have their own priorities and preferences. The squad in four years’ time will reflect the system and style of play, which players have progressed and regressed, who is injured and who is out.
But there will be changes. This is what England’s World Cup squad could look like in 2026:
Richard Jolly December 11, 2022 3:15 pm
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The latest odds for England’s next manager
One of the questions yet to be answered after analyzing the aftermath of England’s World Cup campaign is whether or not Gareth Southgate will continue to lead the team.
The players were quick to offer their support, but the boss himself did not commit to the matter until after the game.
Here are the latest odds (via Oddschecker) on who could replace him if he resigns:
Others, including the rather diverse selection of Sarina Wiegman, Julian Nagelsmann, Roberto Mancini and Chris Wilder, are mentioned as possible options to consider.
Karl Matchett December 11, 2022 3:00 p.m
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Harry Kane reacts to England’s exit from the World Cup
Harry Kane, England’s first-choice striker, captain and the man who scored and missed a penalty against France in the quarter-final defeat, says he is “absolutely gutted” to have missed out on a place in the semi-finals at the World Cup
“Now it’s about using the experience to be mentally and physically stronger for the next challenge,” he wrote in a second post on Twitter. “Thank you for all the support throughout the tournament, it means a lot.”
Karl Matchett December 11, 2022 2:45 p.m
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Gareth Southgate refuses to commit to England’s future after the World Cup exit
Kane had converted an earlier throw to cancel out Aurelien Tchouameni’s excellent opener, before Olivier Giroud scored the winner with a header at the near post.
Southgate’s contract runs until the end of the European Championship in 2024 and the England manager said he will take “time to reflect” on the Qatar tournament before making a decision on his future.
Karl Matchett December 11, 2022 2:30 p.m
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Cristiano Ronaldo crying mourns the end of a dream and, perhaps, an era
There were tears in the tunnel. Cristiano Ronaldo has spent too much of 2022 struggling to contain his emotions. This time, at least, he could be forgiven for showing them. There may have been an element of selfishness about the way the substitute walked off the pitch, leaving his teammates to commiserate with each other and acknowledge the outnumbered Portuguese contingent in the stands.
Certainly, a man who knows the cameras are trained on him was hardly sympathetic as he shook his head as Ruben Dias and Diogo Costa made mistakes as Youssef En-Nesyri headed in the only goal; it was a Ronaldo-esque finish, but they often are, given the range and volume of goals he’s scored over the past two decades.
An hour later, as the victorious Moroccans knelt in front of their raucous supporters, Ronaldo wept for his dream. It will not complete the set. Lionel Messi can still win the World Cup, but Ronaldo can’t. An ambition will escape him, a medal will escape him. Private mourning may have been the reaction of a self-centered individual, but in a sense his has been a solitary pursuit.
Karl Matchett December 11, 2022 2:15 p.m
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Harry Kane ‘very, very low’ after World Cup penalty miss, says England manager Gareth Southgate
Kane had earlier scored England’s equalizer from the spot, smashing the ball into the net for Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris to equal Wayne Rooney’s England record of 53 goals. But at the second time of asking, with the score now 2-1 after Olivier Giroud’s header for France, Kane hit his effort over the bar and England never recovered.
Southgate revealed Kane was distressed in the suit…