England might have exited the World Cup at the quarter final stage to the first good team they faced – plus ça change – but the mood in the UK is one of optimism, despite the devastating defeat, tinged with the traditional haranguing of officials.
Normally, the process of bloodletting after England depart the World Cup starts early: first, they crucify the person who missed the penalty (it’s always a penalty), then they ask for a root and branch restructure of the game to get to the bottom of why they can’t score penalties. Oh, and they love to slag the ref whatever happens.
Despite England being given two penalties in the game – the first a fairly obvious call, the second via VAR – Gary Neville was straight in on Wilton Sampaio for allowing France to defend more physically than he liked.
There was a call for a foul in the build-up to France’s first, but it happen 90m from England’s goal and was, at best, a 50/50 shout.
“You see French defending, it was startling,” said the former England and Manchester United defender. “We knew it was the weak point in their team but I don’t think we knew they’d make those poor decision in those types of areas.
“The referee had a nightmare game, an absolute joke of a referee. I’m not saying that was all down to England’s defeat because that’s making excuses, he was just a bad referee, rank bad.”
England defender Harry Maguire piled in too. “I can’t really explain his performance,” he said. “The number of decisions he got wrong was actually incredible. Really poor.”
Roy Keane saved his ire for keeper Jordan Pickford, who he thought could have saved Aurelien Tchouameni’s shot anyway.
“Brilliant strike,” he said. “The keeper could he do better? Yeah, I think so.”
The general mood, however, was one of optimism given the age profile of the squad and their departure to the reigning champions.
“Heartbreaking once again, but no shame in losing to an excellent French team and congratulations to them,” wrote Gary Lineker.
“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.”
On the TV coverage, all the pundits called for Gareth Southgate to stay on at least until the European Championships in 2024, after which his contract is set to expire.
“I would love Gareth to stay on for another two years,” said Neville. “I’d love him to stay on beyond that whether it be actually as the coach or whether it be in a role in the FA in the future.
“England in the last 10 years have won youth tournaments. We’ve won a women’s tournament in the summer. We’ve got to the men’s final in the Euros. We’re playing really well.
“We’ve got a good team of technical players. England is in a pretty good place, let’s be clear about that.
“We’ve been out of tournaments in disgrace in the last 25 years, thinking what the hell is that what is the future. We’ve got a great future and he is a big part of that.”
Ian Wright agreed, and there was even positivity from noted curmudgeon Keane.
“He is our most successful manager since Sir Alf Ramsey,” said Ian Wright. “I would like to see him still doing it. If he’s not going to coach in some role in terms of the team.”
Keane added: “You’d fully expect Gareth to stay on for the Euros, of course. He’ll have an exit plan in his head. Is he still up for it? The players will be making big decisions over the next few months, some of the older players.
“I agree with absolutely everything everyone has said about Gareth, but he’ll have to look at his future and talk to his family. He’s done a fantastic job. Does he want to give it a couple more years, hopefully he does.”
Over on the BBC, it was a classic theme of valiant defeat.
“I think they should be proud of their performances in this World Cup,” said Micah Richards.
“A lot of people said they haven’t faced anyone and can only beat what’s in front of them. But today I saw a resilient England, they never gave up, but just the crucial moments in the game which they couldn’t get over the line.”
Even the French pundits agreed that England might have shaded the play.
“I think England were better, especially in the second half,” said Julien Laurens.
“There was a moment where you were so much better and should have capitalised.
“If you don’t kill a team like France when they’re on the floor then it will come back to haunt you. Even without the Kane penalty, England should have won that game. If you don’t put us down then that can happen.
“You need to learn how to win these clutch games. You don’t just rock up against a big nation and then go and win if you’re not 100% perfect in every sense.”
French sports daily L’Equipe was less charitable, leading in English with an ironic “Sorry, good game”, before referring to “crunchism”, the ability to take chances in big moments.
“The French won by bravery and the English lost by their tradition.” wrote columnist Vincent Duluc. “The strength of a team is not just that they play well, but that they have other virtues.
“It’s right to celebrate this French team in the semi-finals of the World Cup as an acheivement because they took all the pressure that fell on their backs and kept searching and trying to create.”
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
You haven't noticed how slow Kane is now and he is not that fit either, yes he would look very fast compared to Mark Taylor between the wickets, its a relative thing, England are really loaded with athletes apart from center backs.
sheek
Roar Guru
Loosey, You're right being the expert & fan & I'm not either, just an observer, so I'm going back into my cave to finish the brontosaurus...
Loosey
Roar Rookie
"he is not a top athlete like others" How so? Agree on the subs. Rashford instead of Sterling for sure. And Grealish earlier in the piece.
Loosey
Roar Rookie
The article refers to the commentary from pundits not fans. You appear to be yelling at clouds. Some pundits and players had a go at the referee in the article. I must admit to some perplexity when it came to not giving clear and obvious fouls for England, especially against Saka. But as everyone knows, you always play to the whistle. That France gave away two stone cold penalties is a reflection of the physical way they played, especially in the box, which I thought was extremely careless and rash. As for your prediction of a miss by Kane, it was merely that, a prediction, not an analysis. What would you have said had he scored? "I knew it, I was only kidding"? Who cares what Charlton or Moore may or may not have done, it is a completely useless comparison. Kudos to him for having the balls to take two in regular time but if I were manager I would have had Foden or someone else take it. Kane would have had to take a third penalty had it gone that far, I wouldn't want to give Lloris any chance of saving one having seen two from the same player already. We will have to agree to disagree. I think there was real belief in the side. I thought England looked as accomplished as I've ever seen - they knocked the ball around with authority and control, at least the equal of France and there is some really, really good talent in the side.
sheek
Roar Guru
Loosey, Yes, very much thank you. My rant, if you will, was mainly directed at English fans wanting to rope the ref. The ref didn’t lose England the game, its own players did, & I don’t say that unkindly. If not the players, then the system. I said to an Aussie mate of English birth after Kane missed, I thought he was always going to miss. He had the look of a man going to the gallows, not shooting for glory. My mate told me to f’off, which I thought was unnecessary. But you know, I couldn’t imagine either of the two Bobbies, Charlton or Moore, missing that penalty. Somewhere over the past 50 years, England players have lost their nerve, when the stakes got high. But it goes beyond Kane. The England players seem to lack true belief. They sometimes don’t lack bravado, but they seem to lack that inner belief.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Where England butchered it was with the subs not the penalty or Kane. They have enormous depth, their coach is of the English no sub schoool. The idea in English football is the subs are who you put if you get a large win, or behind a long way . The choke was the English manager not seeing the momentum shift and France getting back into it. France had no weapons the bench, England manager had the big arsenal, subs would have easily won the game for England being fresh and quality players instead of France scoring the second goal England could have run away with it. There is too much emphasis on Kane yes he is very good technically but physically he is not a top athlete like the others . If Kane was subbed off there chances of winning would have gone through the roof.
Loosey
Roar Rookie
Kane will get other moments. This certainly won't be the biggest, it was a quarter final. Hopefully another opportunity will come along. All the money in the world won't be worth the vitriol he will receive over the next few years. He will probably never hear the end of it. Tite decided the order of the kicks and put Neymar 5th for his particular reason. Hardly 'frightened' Neymar. Players make money playing for FA teams not the national team. In fact, they don't have to play for the national team at all if they don't want to. They certainly don't make obscene money playing for their national sides. Are you happy with your rant?
Joshua Makepeace
Roar Rookie
Sorry mate but what game were you watching? Did you see the penalty not given in the first half not mention the foul before the France opener.
sheek
Roar Guru
Cugel, To be fair to soccer referees, tackle fouls are highly subjective. The obvious ones are easy, ie, terribly blatant. But the 50/50 calls are like 100 bystanders on each of 4 corners of a roundabout giving their eyewitness report to police of a vehicle accident. You'll end up with almost as many varying opinions depending on that's person's upbringing, beliefs, religion, customs, biases, prejudices, etc, etc, etc. With humans, what is supposed to be straight-forward is quickly turned into a miss-mash. It is utterly impossible to legislate against human stupidity, in its many guises.
sheek
Roar Guru
Rugby League coach Jack Gibson put out a book a long time ago with a whole bunch of useful quotes, some his own, many from other sources. This was from an unknown American football coach: "I will get ready & then perhaps my chance will come". Well, well, well, Harry Kane has spent his entire career, from when he was about 6-7 years old, practising, training, playing, thinking, breathing, over & over, football & when his big moment in life came, he fluffed it. He won't ever get it back. He's paid obscene money to kick the 'big moment' goals & he missed the biggest moment of all. He can get over himself. He can console himself the rest of his life with the obscene money he has made, while other people worry about things like where they're going to get their next meal or find a roof over their head. I have no sympathy for him at all. Or the bubbling Ronaldo. Or the frightened Neymar (I'll go 5th & maybe not penalty kick at all). Go & spend time with the poor in Africa & Asia, doing some good with your money. You'll still have plenty left over to spend on yourselves. England weren't good enough. Neither was Portugal nor Brazil nor Netherlands. That's the way it is.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
I would say the rules are quite open to interpretation, much more so than many other sports, but the standard of refereeing and interpretation does seems to differ significantly around the world.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
What is worse are the comments coming from players and coaches about how they were robbed by poor refereeing. Yet nothing happens to them. Messi's massive public whinge should see him cop a suspension to put him out of the cup same as that idiot who kicked the ball into the Dutch bench. Good, bad or indifferent the game can't be played without the refs.
Cugel
Roar Rookie
Soccer is an appallingly badly refereed sport, yet fans will flatly deny it against the usual every-four-years influx of outsiders. Then they turn around and whine about it themselves. Hilarious.
Loosey
Roar Rookie
They're still trying to agree on the correct number.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
How many pundits does it take to change a light bulb?
Rellum
Roar Guru
:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: The Poms had a penalty to tie it up and blew it. But sure, blame the ref
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
England choked, the ref made bad decisions but more were in favour of England. The second penalty was ridiculous, because the French player had the position relative to the ball, they can defend their line. Also what is with the diving and begging. They get a ridiculous penalty I though they would be doing cartwheels , and somehow they then go on a huge begging mission and by some miracle got a yellow card on top of that, I was absolutely flummoxed that they then wanted more on top of that. The only person crazier than this English team is Scott Jameison, Glover got the let off of the century yellow card instead of red , instead of the Sydney players complaining in comes Jameison to earn a yellow card complaining about the decision. Some players are clearly a bit crazy but Jameison takes the cake, and what about the commentators, how can it be accidental hand ball when the goal keeper is standing there holding onto the ball outside the area. Reflex action but why hold onto it as well.