Another tournament, another disappointment for England. And even though this time their fans could feel as though they were more than good enough to win, they still lost. And it still came down to a dreaded penalty, though not the shootout version.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, who was a constant threat to the French backline, drew the first penalty in the 54th minute, which captain Harry Kane converted to level the match after Aurelien Tchouameni had unleashed a scorcher just 17 minutes in.
But later down 2-1 after an Olivier Giroud header, Kane has presented another penalty opportunity in the 84th minute when Mason Mount was checked in the box by Theo Fernandez. Unfortunately, Kane came up short. Or long, depending on your perspective, skying his shot over Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris in goal.
The reaction on Twitter was what you would expect for a team that has struggled so often in big games, though usually in the penalty shootout. England are 1-3 in the penalty shootout at the World Cup.
