England 1-2 France: Player ratings as Kane misses penalty in quarter-final exit
England bowed out of the World Cup quarter-finals with a 2-1 defeat to reigning champions France on Saturday night.
Gareth Southgate's assistant Steve Holland warned that this would be a "50-50 game". It proved to be a prescient prediction of the narrow difference between the sides - and Harry Kane's success rate from the penalty spot.
Either side of half-time France took the lead before granting England a chance to level from 12 yards. Kane confidently dispatched his first spot kick shortly after the interval but uncharacteristically blazed over his second attempt, condemning the Three Lions to a premature exit despite an impressive display for large spells.
Dayot Upamecano robbed Bukayo Saka and led a charge downfield in the 17th minute. England's rearguard hurriedly scurried back, frantically trying to funnel white shirts around Kylian Mbappe and then Ousmane Dembele.
Amid the frenzy, Antoine Griezmann - in the mood to spot gaps tricky to see from a bird's eye view - rolled a pass to Tchouameni with enough time and space to let rip from 26 metres, whizzing the ball between Jude Bellingham's legs and into the bottom corner.
England reacted well to falling behind for the first time at this World Cup. Twice in quick succession midway through the first half, Harry Kane pinned Upamecano, spinning towards goal. Hugo Lloris denied England's skipper with a smothering save before Upamecano became entangled with Kane right on the edge of the box, surviving a VAR review.
The threat posed by the world champions in transition always lingered but it was England that took the game to France. Lloris was far busier than Jordan Pickford, tipping away a fizzing effort from Bellingham before he was eye-to-eye with his Tottenham teammate from 12 yards.
Within ten minutes of the restart, Saka wriggled into the French box, tiptoeing along the edge of the area until Tchouameni stuck out a lazy leg. Kane placed the ball on the spot - and then had to do so again as his kick was delayed - before blasting his penalty into the top corner.
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The French camp underlined the importance of set pieces before the contest, lauding England's threat from this area. Harry Maguire almost justified those fears but grazed the outside of the post with his header. Olivier Giroud swiftly showed him how to do it.
Moments after Pickford denied Giroud's volley from point-blank range, England's number one couldn't do anything to rebuff the 36-year-old's header, powering in Griezmann's wicked delivery from the second phase of a corner kick in 78th minute.
Southgate was prompted to turn to his bench for the first time, bringing on Mason Mount. Before the Chelsea forward had even touched the ball, he won England's second spot kick of the night, darting into the area where his very presence lured Theo Hernandez into a reckless barge.
Kane equalled Wayne Rooney's international goal record with his first penalty but couldn't surpass the tally of 53 at his second attempt from 12 yards. Ballooning the ball high into the air conditioned air, England's chance of progress sunk as Kane's kick continued to rise.
England player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Jordan Pickford - 5/10 - May have been beaten from range but was unsighted for Tchouameni's scorcher.
RB: Kyle Walker - 5/10 - The much-hyped head-to-head between Walker and Mbappe saw the Frenchman get the better of a footrace which England's fullback did well to limit.
CB: John Stones - 6/10 - A brief lapse in positioning presented Adrien Rabiot with space to run into in the second half but Pickford bailed his centre-back out.
CB: Harry Maguire - 6/10 - Eager to punch the ball into the final third, Maguire managed to avoid having his glacial turning circle exposed.
LB: Luke Shaw - 5/10 - Only launched his forward thrusts sporadically but offered incision and precision when he got up the pitch.
CM: Jordan Henderson - 4/10 - Didn't offer the steadiness in possession he has provided in the past.
CM: Declan Rice - 7/10 - Played on the balls of his feet, perennially poised to jump forward and pinch possession.
CM: Jude Bellingham - 7/10 - Grew into the game, charging between both boxes with an infectious endeavour.
RW: Bukayo Saka - 8/10 - Buzzing between the lines, constantly tapping the ball out of the defender's reach with half-touches that lured in a challenge,
ST: Harry Kane - 6/10 - The missed penalty will naturally define his performance but it will overshadow a great deal of good work before that.
LW: Phil Foden - 4/10 - Forced to wander centrally in search of a touch - which he struggled to get.
Substitutes
Mason Mount (79' for Henderson) - 6/10 - Added a forward thrust which swiftly earned a penalty.
Raheem Sterling (79' for Saka) - 5/10
Marcus Rashford (85' for Foden) - N/A
Jack Grealish (98' for Stones) - N/A
Manager
Gareth Southgate - 6/10 - It will be quickly lost in the fog of more penalty heartache but England were the better side for large swathes.
France player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Hugo Lloris - 7/10 - France's record-breaker made himself big when called into action.
RB: Jules Kounde - 7/10 - Snuffed out Foden's influence almost entirely.
CB: Raphael Varane - 7/10 - Hanging back as the safety net behind Upamecano's aggressive strides forward.
CB: Dayot Upamecano - 5/10 - Enjoyed mized success with an outrageously proactive (almost wild) approach to winning the ball back.
LB: Theo Hernandez - 3/10 - Struggled to contend with Saka's scurries forward before completely losing his cool to concede France's second penalty.
CM: Antoine Griezmann - 9/10 - Drifting with menace around the final third, popping up just out of the peripheral vision of those in white.
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni - 5/10 - Took his goal superbly but gifted England the equaliser with an over-eager tackle.
CM: Adrien Rabiot - 7/10 - Shuttling up and down, closing the space in a congested midfield.
RW: Ousmane Dembele - 6/10 - A constant option to the switch the focus of France's attack.
ST: Olivier Giroud - 7/10 - Skirted around the fringes of much of the contest before finding himself in the right place at the right time.
LW: Kylian Mbappe - 6/10 - Flickering in and out of the contest - although everyone on the pitch and in the stands was fully aware when he got the ball.
Substitutes
Kingsley Coman (79' for Dembele) - 5/10
Manager
Didier Deschamps - 5/10 - Relied upon the individual brilliance of Griezmann (rather than Mbappe) and Kane's penalty miss.