"If it wasn’t for him" - England manager Gareth Southgate sends message to Harry Kane after penalty miss against France
England manager Gareth Southgate has defended skipper Harry Kane after his missed penalty knocked the Three Lions out of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar with a 2-1 loss against reigning champions France. The English manager asked the media not to single out one player for the disastrous result, saying they "win and lose as a team."
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Southgate was there to console Harry Kane 💔🏴 https://t.co/JRBv14BYBY
England had a fair few chances against France, but their best possible opportunity to draw level came from the penalty spot in the last 10 minutes of regulation time.
The Tottenham Hotspur goalscorer converted his first penalty in the first half to nullify France's lead and found himself facing his club teammate Hugo Lloris standing in front of the goal again. This time, however, the England international blasted the ball over the top of the goal, giving the 2018 champions another chance to soak up the pressure and safeguard their slender lead.
Defending his prolific goalscorer and asking the England fans to feel proud of the team's efforts as they gave their best on the pitch, Southgate said that England could not have reached here without Kane.
He said via UK METRO:
''We win and lose as a team, we let a couple of goals in and missed a few chances. He’s been incredible for us and reliable in those situations, we wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for him.''
Gareth Southgate on Harry Kane: “We wouldn’t be here were it not for the number of goals he’s scored for us.”
The 52-year-old manager believes they were the better side in the game and had ample opportunities to bury the game had they been converted into goals. He added:
"In the key moments, you’re playing a high-level game where chances are created. Most of the time, we were in the right place, and we had more shots at goal than France. We were here to try and win the tournament, and we had the belief we could. We showed in our performance against the reigning champion we could have done.''
The 2020 Euro finalists were amongst the favorites to lift the 2022 FIFA World Cup title. However, a shocking loss on Saturday, December 10, forced England to join Brazil and Portugal on their way home despite being within touching distance of the competition's semifinals.
'He is not an elite coach' - England fans slam Gareth Southgate after getting knocked out of the quarterfinals by France
England fans hit out at their manager Gareth Southgate for not using the players well against France, eventually knocking them out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
There’s an ending to everything
#SouthgateOut 🏴 https://t.co/rfcyDL2VUp
France scored two past the Three Lions on Saturday night, and while a Harry Kane penalty halved the deficit, the Frenchmen held on to qualify for the semis, where they will now face Morocco on December 13.
English fans have not held back since the defeat, asking the English football federation to remove Southgate from the manager's post. Southgate's decision to keep Marcus Rashford on the bench in such a crucial match was one of the key decisions that fans have criticized Southgate for.
Here are some of the responses from English fans after the defeat:
People backing Southgate is why England will never win anything. He's NOT an Elite coach. No Premier League club would go near him. We've got a superb squad being coached by a politician. Nothing created from open play tonight. Mount on ahead of Rashford. Time for change.
@Reedy95 @markgoldbridge Wrong. He’s had the best core of English players in a few generations. Doesn’t make him a good manager. We are wasting another great crop with this guy. It’s basically rinse and repeat.
England have beaten Iran, Wales, & Senegal.
We talk like we were going to win it. Pundits talk Southgate up like he’s done a magnificent job this tournament.
Morocco have dumped out Belgium, Spain, & Portugal: that’s a coach who has done wonders.
It that a harsh take?
Southgate won’t rest until everyone in the country has missed a penalty and knows how he felt. He’s out of control and he has to be stopped.
… #SouthgateOut
With the final four teams now decided, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has finally reached its business end. Apart from the first semifinal clash between France and Morocco on December 13, the second semis match will see Argentina lock horns with Croatia on December 14.
Which two teams will reach the finals? Let us know in the comments section below!