England vs France moments missed as Three Lions crash out of the World Cup

There were some moments that may have been missed as the Three Lions fell to a narrow loss in their quarter-final clash.
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England’s World Cup campaign ended in heartbreak with a narrow quarter-final defeat against reigning champions France.

Things could have been very different for Gareth Southgate and his players after they were the better side for large parts of the game. It was France who took the lead through Tchouameni’s first-half screamer but Didier Deschamps’ men were pegged back when Bukayo Saka earned England a penalty which was brilliantly dispatched by Kane to equal Wayne Rooney’s record as England’s senior men’s team’s all-time top scorer with 53 goals.

Former Chelsea and Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud then headed home what turned out to be the winner with 12 minutes to go - but there was one last chance for England to force the game into extra-time when Mason Mount won another penalty. Kane stepped up once again but was unable to match his earlier effort as he blazed high over the cross much, much to the delight of the French players, coaches and supporters.

Here are some of the moments you may have missed from the game.

Flat atmosphere

One of the things that has made this World Cup has been the atmosphere in the stadiums around Qatar. The South Americans have brought their party to the Gulf state but at the Al Bayt stadium there was really nothing from both sets of fans as the nerves took hold.

The atmosphere failed to match other games at the tournament (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)The atmosphere failed to match other games at the tournament (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
The atmosphere failed to match other games at the tournament (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

The English fans have throughout the tournament sang and jibed at other fans but tonight it was quite flat maybe because France took the lead and left the Three Lions with a mountain to climb. Thet DJ in the stadium tried to lift spirits at half-time but once the game resumed not much could be done to take away the nerves that engulfed the Al Bayt stadium.

Foden, Stones and Maguire protest to the referee at half time

The first-half saw a lot of fouls being committed and there was a general feeling that the French goal started from a foul on Bukayo Saka. The referee waved it on and from there the French went on to score a really good goal. Saka, Kane and Foden were all treated to some really harsh tackles.

Phil Foden of England speaks with referee Wilton Sampaio and assistant referee Bruno Boschilia during the FIFA World Cup quarter-final defeat against France (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)Phil Foden of England speaks with referee Wilton Sampaio and assistant referee Bruno Boschilia during the FIFA World Cup quarter-final defeat against France (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Phil Foden of England speaks with referee Wilton Sampaio and assistant referee Bruno Boschilia during the FIFA World Cup quarter-final defeat against France (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

When the referee blew the whistle to end the first-half he was quickly surrounded and the three England players gestured and made their feelings known to him that the French were taking turns in fouling them.

Your not fit to referee the English fans sing to the referee

The few times we heard from the English fans they told the man in the middle that he was not fit to be referee after he needed VAR to determine if Mason Mount had been fouled in the box. As the referee went to VAR to have a look, the English fans kept singing ‘You’re not fit to referee’ before Harry Kane sent the spot-kick over the crossbar.

England fans applaud team

The whole of England will be mourning after this defeat as it could have been more but the fans in the stadium were quite appreciative of the effort the players put in.

England fans react during theWorld Cup quarter final match against France (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)England fans react during theWorld Cup quarter final match against France (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
England fans react during theWorld Cup quarter final match against France (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

As Kane and co sunk to the ground, the fans applauded them before Gareth Southgate joined in to thank the fans before leaving. Football can be cruel and today Kane, who scored the first penalty, was the villain after he missed his second one. A truly sad night for the Tottenham striker.

Crying Maguire helped out by Conor Gallagher

Harry Maguire of England is consoled by Gareth Southgate after the 2-1 defeat against France at Al Bayt Stadium (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)Harry Maguire of England is consoled by Gareth Southgate after the 2-1 defeat against France at Al Bayt Stadium (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Harry Maguire of England is consoled by Gareth Southgate after the 2-1 defeat against France at Al Bayt Stadium (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Harry Maguire would have been the player that really felt the defeat as he was having a brilliant tournament after struggling to make an impact with Manchester United at at club level.

He played well again against France and didn’t deserve to be on the losing side, but as fate would have it, England crashed out of the tournament. After the final whistle he was on his knees with his jersey covered over his head before Chelsea star Conor Gallagher came to have a word with him and helped him to his feet.