Heartbreak in exit again for England
Star Kane misses late tying penalty kick in 2-1 defeat vs. France
AL KHOR, Qatar — For England, it ended as it always does, as it always seems like it must: with a penalty missed or an opportunity wasted, a fallen hero holding his head in his hands, replaying that moment, the one when it all fell apart, over and over in his mind, wanting nothing more than a chance to rewind, to do it all again, to make it right.
There will, in the days to come, be plenty of recrimination as England picks over the bones of its 2-1 defeat to France on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, as it comes to terms with another exit, another disappointment, another few years of hurt. It is, or at least it has become, a natural part of the cycle, a chance for catharsis, collective therapy or just some good, old-fashioned bloodletting, depending on the circumstances.
A little of that will find its way, inexorably, to Harry Kane, the team’s captain, the most prolific goal-scorer in his country’s history, and inevitably, then, the player who missed the penalty that might have taken the game to extra time and kept England in Qatar for a little longer.
He will not be alone. Gareth Southgate, the manager, will attract his share of criticism, too, as the country’s most successful manager for half a century weighs whether he has the “energy” to continue into a fourth major tournament, to do it all again. Much of it, though, will be directed at Wilton Sampaio, the Brazilian referee, a man who achieved the rare feat of becoming England’s anointed villain despite awarding Southgate’s team two penalties.
The principal accusation centered on France’s first goal, a whistling, fizzing laser of a shot from midfielder Aurélien Tchouámeni that capped a move England very clearly felt started with a foul on Bukayo Saka. Sampaio waved away the protestations; his video assistants did not see enough of an error to intercede.
Over the past three weeks, France — and France alone — has seemed to be on cruise control in Qatar: two straightforward wins in the group phase, a defeat against Tunisia that nobody seemed to notice and then a breezy victory against Poland in the round of 16.
Against England, though, that sang-froid almost proved France’s undoing. Tchouámeni’s goal seemed to lull his team into a torpor. Gradually, it stripped any urgency from its play, any impetus, as if expecting England simply to succumb. The reigning champion, France ceded first territory and then control. It sat back, rested on its laurels, rode its luck. Eventually, it was made to pay: Tchouámeni tripping Saka, Kane sending the subsequent penalty past his opposing captain and Tottenham teammate, Hugo Lloris.
At that point, the wind seemed to be at England’s backs. France’s vaunted attack, spearheaded by Kylian Mbappé, had been peripheral to the game; its midfield was being overwhelmed; French manager Didier Deschamps seemed curiously reluctant to try to wrestle back control.
That was England’s chance: not just to prove, as Southgate said, that it could “go toe-to-toe” with an elite team, a champion team, but to beat one, and to claim a place in a third straight tournament semifinal.
That it did not take it will haunt Kane, Southgate and the rest of his players for some time.