England reacts to heartbreaking World Cup quarter-final loss to France

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France have beaten England 2-1 at the 2022 World Cup and will play Morocco for a place in next week’s final.

Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni scored a sublime opening goal from range. Harry Kane levelled the score after the break with a penalty kick, after having an earlier appeal ignored by referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio.

Olivier Giroud then scored a late goal to put France in control, before Kane dramatically missed a second penalty kick, with the reigning world champions holding on to win.

Kane has endured his fair share of near-misses: the Premier League title in 2016, the Champions League in 2019, League Cups in 2015 and 2021, the European Championship last summer. None of those agonising setbacks may haunt him as much as the penalty miss six minutes from time in a World Cup quarter-final that England shaded for large periods against the world champions.

It was always going to be a tough ask but the manner of the exit will hurt. England were just as good – if not superior – to a team featuring arguably the world’s best player and packed full of stars. It was settled, as it always is at the pinnacle of the sport, by fine margins. This one will sting for some time.

Speaking after the match, Midfielder Jordan Henderson felt England had given it their best.

The Liverpool captain told ITV “It is difficult to find the right words. I thought we gave everything in the game.

“We were disappointed to go 1-0 down but I thought (we showed) the character and the mentality to keep going in the second half and find the equaliser.

“I can’t say any more. We gave it everything and unfortunately it wasn’t our night.”

Former England striker Wayne Rooney, whose goalscoring record Harry Kane could have broken if he scored his second penalty of the match late in the quarter-final, tweeted, “Absolutely gutted for the lads but proud of the way they’ve played this tournament and they should be proud.

“Congratulations to (Harry Kane) on equalling the record, he’ll be on his own soon and couldn’t think of anyone better to take over. Keep your head up Harry.”

Former England internationals Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer said the match came down to “fine margins”, adding that the young side’s “time will come”.

Shearer tweeted: “2 decent sides. A missed pen. Fine margins. S*** happens. Well done France.”

Lineker posted: “Heartbreaking once again, but no shame in losing to an excellent French team and congratulations to them. There was so little to choose between the two sides. This fine young (England) team gave their all and will only get better. Their time will come.”

And Sir Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat-trick when England won the World Cup final in 1966, tweeted,

“Proud of every single player and the way they have played.”

“Sometimes the heart just doesn’t get what it wants on the night.”

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