Everyone would have wagered everything on Harry Kane. The England captain had already scored one equalizer from the penalty spot, tying him with Wayne Rooney for the record of 53 goals for his country. Now, after Olivier Giroud had tipped this World Cup thriller back in France’s favor, Kane once again stood over the penalty spot.
Theo Hernandez was responsible for conceding the penalty. It was an amazing gush of blood from the fullback, who collided with England’s substitute Mason Mount as they ran after a high ball that was soaring over both of them. A larger one was to follow.
Kane was close to breaking the scoring record. Moreover, he had the potential to restore England’s faith, paving the way for extra time and maybe a semi-final against Morocco. The pressure was unbearable.
As he had with the previous penalty, Kane took his time with this one. And yet, he crumbled, sending the ball well over the crossbar in a nightmare-inducing moment. The clock read 84 minutes. And that was essentially it.
There would be no late sting, leaving England, for the umpteenth time, to ponder on a cruel tale of bad luck. This was meant to be the night when everything came together against world champion opposition, with the mindset and quality aligning and the harsh lessons of recent history guiding England to a legendary win.
Gareth Southgate and his team had made no secret of their objective in this match, which went beyond simply defeating France. They traveled to Qatar to win the World Cup. A poster in the gym at their training facility stated, “We didn’t come this far to merely get this far.”
Southgate stated that England needed to “master this style of football immediately.” They fell agonizingly short of their goal.
The emphasis will shift to what Southgate will do next. Will he continue to compete in a fourth tournament? The investigation will proceed as usual. Before the game, the manager stated that the buck will stop with him.
But this was not a repeat of the two losses that have marred his England resume – against Croatia in the semi-finals of the last World Cup and Italy in the final of Euro 2020 when he and his players were undercut by caution and lack of confidence. It was not a waste of time to remove him from his role.
England was at least on par with France in this regard. They forged opportunities. After another sloppy start, they played aggressively and on the offensive. They held Kylian Mbappé mostly in check.
When another substitute, Marcus Rashford, missed the goal with a last-ditch free-kick, England was forced to acknowledge a missed opportunity. Kane looked broken at full-time. So did everyone wearing English colors.
England has not ever trailed in a tournament or suffered a significant setback. Southgate and his coaches had planned how they would react and the necessary procedures. After Aurélien Tchouaméni’s early breakthrough, which felt foreshadowed, they were compelled to implement them.
France had swiftly established its passing patterns, with Antoine Griezmann playing a significant role. Giroud nearly made a header in the 11th minute.
The breakthrough occurred when Griezmann passed to Tchouaméni, who shot with a wicked swerve from a distance. Jordan Pickford had ample opportunity to observe it. As it approached his right corner, he threw himself over. He exerted his maximum effort, but it was insufficient.
The move was initiated by a challenge by Dayot Upamecano on Bukayo Saka, which England believed was a foul. Wilton Sampaio, a referee from Brazil, answered no. He was unpredictable throughout. At times, he appeared to be guessing.
England maintained composure, and Kane spearheaded the comeback by engaging in several physical duels with Dayot Upamecano and prevailing. Kane rolled the center-back after receiving a ball from Saka and had a chance from the right angle.
On the occasion of his record-setting 143rd appearance for France’s men’s national team, Lloris made a shrewd block.
Also, in the 25th minute, Kane again evaded Upamecano and proceeded toward the right side of the penalty area. As he reached the box, he felt his defender sweep his legs away; however, a VAR review revealed that the contact had occurred just outside the box.
Luke Shaw’s direct free-kick to Lloris and Harry Kane’s deflected long-range attempt were both saved by Lloris.
England continued to advance after the halftime break. Jude Bellingham unleashed a shot from the outside of the penalty box following a half-cleared corner that Lloris turned over – another excellent save – and Saka began to exert his influence, all nimble movement from the right flank.
Saka won the first penalty after exchanging passes with Bellingham, with Tchouaméni extending for the tackle but arriving too late. Saka was too quick. Mbappé had a flashy exchange with Lloris as Kane readied himself, attempting to frighten the England captain. It did not work.
Everyone wanted to see the foot race between Mbappé and Kyle Walker, and Adrien Rabiot almost immediately restored France’s advantage — Southgate hurriedly gestured to his temples – and there was the foot race between Mbappé and Kyle Walker that everyone wanted to see.
Mbappé triumphed by finding the last gear to pull back on Ousmane Dembélé, who was unable to react.
England needed to take a risk, so they threatened. Harry Maguire’s header off a Jordan Henderson free-kick hit the outside of the post, while Saka was unable to convert a Shaw cross. It was so near.
It appeared at that time that England would score the subsequent goal. France had different plans. Giroud could have scored after a Dembélé nod-back, but Pickford made a great save.
He then scored off Griezmann’s magnificent cross, crashing home between John Stones and Harry Maguire. Kane could have written a different story. There would be just suffering.
