Penalties doom England again as France knock out Three Lions

AL KHOR, Qatar -- World Cup holders France are done to the semifinals successful Qatar aft Olivier Giroud's 78th-minute header earned Didier Deschamps' broadside a 2-1 win implicit England astatine Al Bayt Stadium connected Saturday.

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Aurelien Tchouameni's superb 17th-minute onslaught was cancelled retired by Harry Kane's 54th-minute penalty, but aft Giroud had restored France's advantage, the England skipper missed a 2nd spot footwear erstwhile presented with a accidental to equalise six minutes later. Les Bleus withstood a last basal from England, holding connected to unafraid their spot successful the last four.

JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Postmatch quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures

Rapid reaction

1. Penalties outgo England again

This clip it wasn't a shootout, but England are retired of the World Cup aft their astir reliable punishment taker -- 1 of the champion successful the satellite -- missed a spot footwear from 12 yards with six minutes left. Kane had already scored 1 punishment earlier successful the match, equalling Wayne Rooney's all-time England goal-scoring grounds successful the process, but erstwhile stepping up again to look his Tottenham Hotspur team-ate Hugo Lloris with an accidental to level a finely balanced lucifer astatine 2-2 precocious on, helium uncharacteristically blazed his effort implicit the crossbar. It was lone the 4th clip helium had missed for England from 21 attempts.

In the buildup to the game, Kane played down immoderate contented of familiarity with Lloris.

"Surprisingly I haven't practiced excessively overmuch against Hugo, I would usually signifier against the second- oregon third-choice goalkeeper connected the time earlier the crippled erstwhile you usually signifier with them," Kane said. "I've taken them against him but I wouldn't accidental loads and loads, but I person it akin against Premier League goalkeepers erstwhile I look an England goalkeeper, I instrumentality to my process and instrumentality to the signifier earlier the game."

Kane scored against Lloris successful a June 2017 friendly, but erstwhile it mattered most, the 29-year-old -- who has been successful good signifier passim this tourney -- came up short, evoking memories of England's Euro 2020 last shootout decision to Italy past summertime -- and each the punishment play of 7 erstwhile tourney exits by that mode.

2. Giroud continues to beryllium invaluable

Giroud spent 9 years successful England with Arsenal and Chelsea but was not ever afloat appreciated. His longevity has been remarkable, and aged 36, replacing Karim Benzema aft the Real Madrid striker missed this tourney done injury, helium made the defining publication successful a World Cup quarterfinal with an fantabulous header, beating Harry Maguire to Antoine Griezmann's left-wing cross.

Giroud broke Thierry Henry's all-time men's goal-scoring grounds for France during their round-of-16 triumph implicit Poland, aft which Deschamps said: "He has had hard periods successful his career. He has often been criticised, but radical are present seeing his quality."

Some of those hard periods were successful England, but his big-game mentality came to the fore here. France edged a crippled of good moments arsenic their acquisition successful the second stages of large tournaments -- and arsenic defending champions -- told, and Giroud epitomised that spot of character.

Much of the pre-match absorption was connected Kylian Mbappe's conflict with Kyle Walker -- France's opening extremity came successful portion from the archetypal clip Walker went upfield, lone for England to suffer possession -- but successful the end, aft Tchouameni's stunning first-half strike, Griezmann and Giroud were the operation that did successful the Three Lions.

3. Will Southgate transportation connected aft England falter against different elite nation?

England manager Gareth Southgate has a declaration to 2024, but determination was a grade of speculation implicit whether helium would person the thrust to transportation connected aft six years astatine the helm, particularly fixed the disapproval helium received successful the summertime erstwhile England were relegated from the Nations League, overmuch of it coming from a conception of Three Lions supporters. However, the team's advancement nether Southgate is undeniable, coming truthful adjacent to delivering England's archetypal large tourney triumph since 1966. And some the mode of this constrictive decision to France and the creation of a young, dynamic squad should promote him to continue, but England person yet fallen abbreviated erstwhile attempting to bushed an elite federation successful a knockout crippled distant from Wembley.

He cannot beryllium accused of being overtly cautious here, sticking with a 4-3-3 signifier that was designed to springiness Jude Bellingham the accidental to impact the crippled portion Bukayo Saka (who was excellent) and Phil Foden operated successful enactment of Kane, trying to bushed France arsenic equals alternatively than containing and counterattacking. Southgate has overseen six of England's 15 victories successful knockout football, but their wins distant from location ungraded came against Colombia and Sweden successful Russia, Ukraine successful Rome past summertime and Senegal successful Qatar.

Southgate has done truthful overmuch to deconstruct England's habitual tourney failings, but this inability to decision a apical broadside connected the roadworthy is simply a solid ceiling that requires further enactment to break.

Player ratings (1 = worst, 10 = best)

England: Jordan Pickford 7, Kyle Walker 6, John Stones 6, Harry Maguire 6, Luke Shaw 6, Jordan Henderson 6, Declan Rice 7, Jude Bellingham 7, Bukayo Saka 8, Harry Kane 7, Phil Foden 7

Subs: Mason Mount 6, Marcus Rashford 6, Raheem Sterling 6, Jack Grealish 6

France: Hugo Lloris 7, Jules Kounde 7, Raphael Varane 7, Dayot Upamecano 6, Theo Hernandez 5, Adrien Rabiot 7, Aurelien Tchouameni 7, Ousmane Dembele 7, Antoine Griezmann 9, Kylian Mbappe 7, Olivier Giroud 8

Subs: Kingsley Coman 6

Best and worst performers

BEST: Antoine Griezmann, France. Two much assists, the 2nd of which was a stunning transverse from the near for Giroud's winning goal.

WORST: Theo Hernandez, France. Poor punishment to concede erstwhile barging into the backmost of Mount -- a determination lone made worse by the referee's inability to springiness it connected archetypal viewing.

Highlights and notable moments

Before the match, FIFA honoured longtime American writer Grant Wahl, who died aboriginal Saturday greeting aft falling sick portion covering Friday's quarterfinal betwixt Argentina and the Netherlands.

Absolute agony for skipper Kane, and the Three Lions' punishment curse continues.

HARRY KANE MISSES THE PENALTY 😱 pic.twitter.com/UwDpI8qXpQ

After the match: What the players and managers said

Henderson connected Kane: "We cognize however galore penalties Harry has scored for us, however galore goals helium has contributed to adjacent get america here. He volition beryllium stronger for this successful the future. He is simply a world-class striker and our captain, helium volition bounce back."

Giroud: "England played a large crippled and I would similar to archer them that we are arrogant to person beaten specified a large team."

Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)

- This was the eighth clip England conceded the archetypal extremity successful a World Cup knockout-stage game; the Three Lions person lone won 1 of those matches: the 1966 last vs. West Germany.

- Kane's 4th vocation extremity from the punishment spot successful World Cups ties Rob Rensenbrink, Gabriel Batistuta and Eusebio for astir each clip by immoderate men's player.

- Kane's missed punishment is the archetypal England person failed to person successful a World Cup lucifer (excluding shootouts). They were 12 for 12 previously.

Up next

England: The Three Lions instrumentality to enactment connected March 23, erstwhile they question to Italy for a rematch of the Euro 2020 last successful Euro 2024 qualifying.

France: Les Bleus march connected to the semifinals, wherever they'll conscionable Morocco connected Wednesday astatine 2 p.m. ET.