Mark Wood inspired England to a first away Test-series win against Pakistan in 21 years after another dramatic match finished in a 26-run victory in Multan.

An 80-run stand between the formidable Saud Shakeel (94) and Mohammad Nawaz (45) had put Pakistan in a great position to level this sensational series at 1-1.

But Wood snared both their wickets in a brilliant spell shortly before lunch to swing it back in England's favour and finished with 4-65 in the second innings.

Ollie Robinson had Mohammad Ali nick behind for the final wicket as Pakistan were all out for 328 in pursuit of 355.

England had just two wins on Pakistan soil in the preceding 60 years prior to this series and have chalked up as many in the past fortnight. For the hosts, it is the first time they have lost three straight home Test matches since 1959.

It had not looked a foregone conclusion either, even after Faheem Ashraf poked a Joe Root off-break to Zak Crawley in the clips.

Shakeel had batted valiantly for almost five-and-a-half hours as Pakistan put themselves in a great position for a series-levelling victory.

At 290-5, captain Ben Stokes pulled Wood for a chat and immediately a short one from the paceman saw Nawaz play behind.

From Wood's next over, the dangerous Shakeel was gone, albeit contentiously when caught by Pope, with replays unable to conclusively show whether he had dragged the ball along the ground.

The soft dismissal was upheld, but Abrar Ahmed's fine debut continued with a quickfire 17 that was ended when he whacked James Anderson to Ben Duckett at cover.

Wood came back to rip up Zahid Mahmood's off stump and, although Agha Salman (20no) continued to give Pakistan hope, Robinson finished the job to complete one of England's finest away series wins and make it eight victories from nine Tests under Stokes and Brendon McCullum.

 

Wood rises to the occasion

Wood's injury troubles have been well documented but when fit and firing he is a huge asset to England and so it proved here.

With his side under the cosh and facing the very realistic prospect of losing the Test, Wood turned a see-saw match back in the tourists' favour.

Shakeel fights hard

That Pakistan were in the game at all owes much to the efforts of Shakeel, who fell agonisingly short of a maiden Test century as he followed up his 63 from the first innings with a patient 213-ball knock.

He will be desperately disappointed with a dismissal that was far from conclusive but his fight gave Pakistan real hope.

England manager Gareth Southgate is "conflicted" as he weighs up his future in the role following the side's World Cup quarter-final exit to France.

Southgate made it clear after Saturday's 2-1 loss to Les Bleus that he will not rush into a decision on his future, while the Football Association have left that call in his hands.

The England boss, who led the side to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and Euro 2020 final, has been in charge since 2016 and is contracted until December 2024.

The 52-year-old had made it known he wanted to enjoy the 2022 World Cup, having a "difficult" period after England's penalty shoot-out loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final, which erupted after losing 4-0 to Hungary in Wolverhampton during June's UEFA Nations League fixtures.

"I've found large parts of the last 18 months difficult," Southgate said. "For everything that I've loved about the last few weeks, I still have… how things have been for 18 months.

"What's been said and what's been written. The night at Wolves. There's lots of things in my head that’s really conflicted at the moment.

"What I want to make sure, if it's the right thing to stay, is that I've definitely got the energy to do that. I don’t want to be four or five months down the line thinking: 'I've made the wrong call'. It's too important for everybody to get that wrong."

Southgate has transformed England since their disappointing Euro 2016 last-16 exit to Iceland, becoming a genuine title contender with a new wave of exciting talent.

The ex-England defender had no timeframe on when he would make a decision on his future, stating he was eager to overcome the emotion of the defeat before making a call.

"When I’ve been through the past few tournaments, my emotions have been difficult to really think through properly in those following few weeks," he said. "It took so much energy out of you and you have so much going through your mind.

"I want to make the right decision either way because it has to be the right one to go again, or the right one not to go again, and I don't think now is the time to make a decision like that. Neither are the next few days, really."

Southgate added that he was not sure when he was ever going to get over England's latest World Cup exit, but spoke with a sense of pride about their performance.

"I don't think I have got over the last one [Euro 2020] but this feels a little bit different because when we reflect on what we’ve done, I’m not sure what more we could have done or given," he said.

"I think we've given a really good performance against a top team. It was a significant psychological step for those players.

"I have been involved in nights where we have played top teams and been on the back foot for the majority of the game and been dominated. We wanted to be bold in the tournament and I think we went toe-to-toe with them.

"We have said we want to be competitive all the way through with England and we are, I believe, in that top table … the last three tournaments, we have restored credibility.

"The rest of the world look at us as a good side, but we are here to win, and we haven't won."

Rio Ferdinand believes England manager Gareth Southgate "came up short" with his substitutions in the 2-1 World Cup quarter-final defeat to France.

Harry Kane missed a late penalty as England tumbled out of the tournament in Qatar, with goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud sending France through to a semi-final against Morocco on Wednesday.

With England chasing Saturday's game late on, Southgate decided to bring on Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling for Jordan Henderson and Bukayo Saka with just over 10 minutes to play.

He then took off Phil Foden for Marcus Rashford in the 85th minute, while Jack Grealish came on deep into stoppage time as England desperately tried to get back in the contest.

Those attempts ultimately ended up fruitless as England suffered fresh tournament heartbreak, having lost the Euro 2020 final on penalties to Italy last year.

Former defender Ferdinand, who won 81 caps for England between 1997 and 2011, feels Southgate's reluctance to make alterations cost England a semi-final spot.

"Our [England's] substitutions is where I think Gareth Southgate let us down," Ferdinand said on his YouTube show Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE.

"I think he's been pitch-perfect, touch-perfect in almost every decision he's made up to this point, but you get into a game like yesterday where this is really where it matters now, and I think Gareth Southgate came up short in the tactical element in terms of substitutions.

"Gareth, in the moment, wasn't proactive with his substitutions, he was reactive.

"It hit 1-1 and we're sitting there going, 'Take the bull by the horns, make a substitution, get us on the front foot'. You've got Rashford, you've got Grealish who can go on, get us on the front foot and change this game.

"You're sitting there going, 'It's too late, man'. You've got to do this when we've got the chance of still winning this game and taking the game from them."

After another tough tournament exit, there are many questions over whether Southgate will continue in his role, with the manager himself unsure for now.

But Ferdinand expects Southgate will stay on, saying: "I think, if I am Gareth Southgate, I cannot leave this story.

"This story hasn't had an ending yet that works for me, if I'm Gareth Southgate."

Hugo Lloris believes Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane "must have been feeling the pressure" after the striker's missed penalty helped France into the World Cup semi-finals.

Kane had already scored a penalty to equalise for England after Aurelien Tchouameni's long-range opener, but Olivier Giroud put France back ahead with just 12 minutes to play.

Kane then received a golden chance to level again from the spot after Theo Hernandez inexplicably bundled over Mason Mount in the France area.

However, the England captain blazed his penalty well over before France saw out the remaining minutes to keep alive their hopes of becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain their World Cup crown.

Lloris feels his club team-mate felt the weight of the moment, causing him to balloon his spot-kick over the crossbar.

"The first one, we know each other so well that I said to myself he'll change, but he stayed with his usual," Lloris told France's Twitter account. "The second one, I went the right way.

"Certainly, he must have been feeling the pressure so he lifted it a bit, he forced it a bit. It was an important moment in the game."

France won Saturday's game despite England having double the amount of shots as the reigning world champions, while registering 2.41 xG (expected goals) to France's 1.01.

Laurent Blanc, who coached Les Bleus between 2010 and 2012 having won 97 caps as a player, cited France's superior experience deep into tournaments as the reason for the quarter-final victory.

"You always have to respect your opponent," Blanc told reporters. "I found a very good French team, but I honestly found a very good English team. It's been a while since I've seen an England team so good.

"We won, I think, because we have perhaps a little more experience and then the fate was more favorable to the French than to the English."

France's path to their second straight World Cup final is now only blocked by Morocco, whose fairytale run to the final four has seen them become the first African nation to get this far in the tournament's history.

Blanc says Morocco must be treated as a very capable opponent and suggested complacency cannot creep in.

"I think it will be a great game, you know the history of the two countries, they are very close," Blanc explained.

"We must respect the opponents who are surprises and Morocco, I think, in the semi-finals of the World Cup, is a surprise.

"But when you get to the semi-final of the World Cup, yes you were considered a surprise at the beginning but when you get there, you can no longer be a surprise. So it means that they have very good players, a very good coach.

"So here we are, may the best team win and we will watch it with great interest."

England captain Owen Farrell has called the decision to sack Eddie Jones as head coach "unbelievably disappointing".

Jones won three Six Nations titles and took the team to the 2019 Rugby World Cup final during his seven years as head coach.

However, he was relieved of his duties on Tuesday after a run of form that has seen England win just five of their 12 Tests in 2022. 

The announcement comes with just nine months to go until the World Cup, while England are due to get their Six Nations campaign underway against Scotland on February 4.

The decision to sack Jones has been a polarising one, with former England back-row James Haskell labelling  it "utter madness" and insisting Jones was the best coach he had played under.

Farrell is the latest to speak out on his frustration over Jones being fired, telling the BBC: "It's unbelievably disappointing.

"Eddie had been a big part of England Rugby for a long time now and he has been one of the best coaches I have ever had so, for that, I'm massively thankful.

"We are disappointed it has finished early and we owe a lot to him. I have been around for a while now and not been around too many changes, both at club and international level. It's not pleasant to go through.

"I don't think it has come from the players. There is obviously stuff we all want to get better at from the results but as players you look at yourself and see what you can do."

Farrell explained he had spoken to Jones since the announcement, adding: "We have exchanged a few messages and hopefully I will see him [again]."

Gareth Southgate is not planning to rush into a decision about his England future before Christmas, insisting he has "few regrets" about the Three Lions' World Cup campaign.

Southgate's team suffered a heartbreaking quarter-final exit against world champions France on Saturday, with Harry Kane missing a late penalty after scoring an earlier spot-kick.

The England boss said he would take time to ensure he made "the correct decision" on his own future in the aftermath of the 2-1 defeat, with his contract set to expire after Euro 2024.

He then hinted an immediate decision was unlikely in an interview with England's media channels on Sunday, adding he was struggling to see where the Three Lions went wrong.

There will be standard debriefing sessions with the Football Association in the coming days, and then Southgate is planning some family time over the Christmas holiday.

"We've not been in this position before when we're coming up to Christmas, but we will reflect and debrief on the games but also the whole camp," Southgate said.

"At the moment, it's hard to think of things we could've done better. There might be bits and pieces, things which you'll take forward to further tournaments, so that's a process that we'll go through.

"Then I'll have Christmas with my family and we'll go from there."

England earned praise from some quarters for their front-foot performances in Qatar, and the Three Lions' tally of 13 goals at the competition represents their highest total at either the World Cup or European Championship.

Despite seeing England's agonising wait for major tournament glory in the men's game continue, Southgate insisted he did not regret many aspects of the team's campaign.

"It's a really strange feeling because the end of a tournament is so stark. Everyone is packing everything up, after going through years of preparation and then months of tighter preparation," Southgate said.

"There's also the feeling that we've come so close and the performance, we were happy with. We felt we could've gone on and done more but yet, I really have few regrets about the whole thing, so emotionally it's a rollercoaster."

Asked about the mood of his players, Southgate added: "They're flat. They know they've played well.

"You know when you don't hit the levels that you feel you should, and they know that they have throughout this tournament.

"If I think back to Colombia [in the last 16 at the World Cup] four years ago, the tension in the team and in all of us at getting over the line, it affects performance.

"I think we saw in the two knockout games this time, that's what that experience brings. They have more belief, they have more confidence, and you can't fast-track that.

"They've got to live through that and we've now got a group of very young players with that big-game experience already, and the core of a group who can be together for a long time."

Jack Grealish tipped England to "make history" at future tournaments after their World Cup exit against France, as Marcus Rashford joined him in pledging the Three Lions would respond.

England suffered their seventh World Cup quarter-final elimination – a tournament record – on Saturday, as goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud maintained France's bid to retain the trophy.

Harry Kane scored one penalty and missed another as England experienced a familiar sinking feeling at Al Bayt Stadium, but Grealish believes Gareth Southgate's men will atone in the future.

The Manchester City playmaker was sorry it did not work out this time, having been convinced England were on course for trophy glory.

"Absolutely devastated to go out, words can't describe it as I really thought this was our year," Grealish wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

"I'm so proud to be part of this team and it's been a privilege to be with this group of players and staff for the past four weeks.

"We all have an unbelievable bond and we look forward to the future because we want to make history for all of you at home.

"Thank you to every England fan for your support during the past four weeks."

Rashford, who alongside Bukayo Saka was England's joint-highest scorer in Qatar with three goals, struck a similar tone to Grealish.

"The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions, each and every one of our team gave everything we had to be ready for what was thrown at us," Rashford said in a Tweet.

"We got close, but not close enough. I'll make a promise that we will come again! Thank you for the unconditional support."

Manager Southgate believes the identity of England's quarter-final opponents makes it difficult to say whether his team's campaign should be considered a success.

"Before any tournament, people are always asking what round you need to get to for it to be a success," Southgate said in a video on England's media channels.

"I've always said that's hard to define, because you can play a France and have the type of game we've had, and have a different reaction to getting to a final or a semi-final, as we've experienced.

"It's a difficult time for everybody in our country, and I think the players have represented them in the right way, we've played in the right way. I hope everybody's enjoyed the journey."

David Beckham called Harry Kane a "true leader" after the striker missed a crucial penalty in England's 2-1 defeat to France in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.

Kane had already converted from the spot to equalise for the Three Lions after Aurelien Tchouameni's long-range opener, but Olivier Giroud headed France back in front with 12 minutes to play.

However, England found a golden chance to level for a second time when Mason Mount was bundled over in the France box by Theo Hernandez.

Kane stepped up once again, but blasted his second spot-kick well over the crossbar as France held on to knock Gareth Southgate's side out of the tournament.

Beckham is no stranger to World Cup heartbreak, having been sent off in England's 1998 round-of-16 penalties defeat to Argentina for a petulant kick on Diego Simeone.

Beckham received much abuse for the incident, and he wants England fans to remain behind Kane in a way that was not the case for him in 1998.

In an Instagram post, Beckham said: "It takes a true leader to step up in these moments and that's what our captain [Kane] did.

"Our boys will continue to grow. It's always the worst feeling waking up after being knocked out of a tournament but our players, Gareth [Southgate] the staff and all our fans can be proud of this team.

"The next time it will be a different ending. We walk away with our heads held high."

England's World Cup exit came despite the Three Lions outperforming every other side at the tournament, says Jamie Carragher, who felt Gareth Southgate could have been "braver" in Saturday's defeat to France.

Harry Kane scored a penalty and missed another as England suffered more quarter-final heartache, despite outplaying the world champions for long periods at Al Bayt stadium.

Despite amassing double the number of shots (16 to eight) and expected goals (2.41 to 1.01) than France, England succumbed to their seventh World Cup quarter-final elimination – a tournament record.

Former Three Lions defender Carragher was present for one of those exits, missing a penalty in a 2006 shoot-out loss to Portugal, but he believes Southgate's men played at a higher level than past England sides.

Recounting England's previous World Cup exits in a column for The Telegraph, Carragher wrote: "The biggest compliment I can pay Southgate's side is that they do not belong with such company. 

"This England team was no underdog going toe-to-toe with the world champions. This England team leaves the tournament having played better than any side in Qatar over their five games, a genuine contender that could and arguably should have gone all the way.

"France won on the night because of moments – a stunning goal from distance and a cross from Antoine Griezmann that would have troubled any defence in the world.

"Then England missed a penalty, knowing that had Harry Kane equalised for a second time, it would have carried positive momentum into extra time."

While praising the quality of England's displays in Qatar, Carragher said Southgate should have made better use of his squad when Saturday's game was poised at 1-1 in the second half.

"When you lose a game there's always things you look back on and think you could have done differently," he told Sky Sports.

"That's easy to say after the event, but I did feel before the game that England had to be brave from the bench. I just felt that in the period between the two goals, we could have been braver from the bench.

"With five substitutions, it's a big part of a manager's role to try to influence or change a game. I know Gareth's been criticised for that in the past, after the games against Croatia [in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals] and Italy [in the Euro 2020 final].

"Both those sides, if we're being totally honest, were better than us. I don't think France were better than us, and I felt the change should have been to try to go and win the game.

"England certainly had the strongest bench in the competition, I firmly believe that, and I just think we could have been a little bit more proactive in that period where it was 1-1 and we were playing really well."

England held off Pakistan's fightback to end day three of the second Test on top, with the late dismissal of Imam-ul-Haq teeing up a nail-biting finish in Multan.

Pakistan made a flying start as England were bowled out for 275 in the opening session, and despite being reduced to 83-3 after lunch, the hosts appeared to be in the ascendency thanks to a fine partnership between Imam (60) and Saud Shakeel (54 not out).

There was a final twist as the light drew in, however, as Imam handed Joe Root a simple catch at slip, leaving England requiring six wickets for a series victory as the momentum shifted once more.

The fact England began the day 202-5 owed much to a fine knock from Harry Brook, and the right-hander wasted little time in bringing up his second Test century as the tourists built a 355-run lead.

However, Pakistan soon had their first wicket of the day when Mohammad Ali produced a terrific catch in the deep from Ben Stokes (41), before the Test's breakout star Abrar Ahmed claimed his 11th of the match to remove Ollie Robinson (3).

But it was Zahid Mahmood who took centre stage with a three-wicket haul as England were all out for 275, bowling James Anderson (4) lbw after handing Shakeel a catch from Brook (108).

Pakistan's hopes of chasing down their target looked forlorn when England claimed three quickfire wickets after lunch, the highlight being Robinson's terrific seamer to skipper Babar Azam (1).

The hosts initially made light of those dismissals as Imam and Shakeel took up the mantle, but the former's wild swing at Jack Leach's routine delivery could prove costly.

Root was on hand to make the catch at close quarters, dealing a serious blow to Pakistan's chase at the end of a topsy-turvy day.

Brook repeats the trick

Brook made the third-fastest Test century in England history as Brendon McCullum's men got off to a flying start to the first Test last week, and while his second ton was not quite as emphatic, it could prove equally crucial.

The 23-year-old's century – his second in three Test appearances – gave England something to defend as Pakistan began their fightback.

Zahid and Imam efforts in vain? 

Zahid was the star of the opening session as his three-wicket haul helped cut England's second innings short, with this display representing a vast improvement on his underwhelming debut in the first Test.

Imam, meanwhile, looked to have put Pakistan on course for a successful chase with his knock of 60, but his late swing at Leach's ball may end up costing his side the match. 

Harry Kane appeared "weighed down" by the presence of his Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris as his late penalty miss saw England exit the World Cup against France, says Alan Shearer.

Kane equalled Wayne Rooney's record of 53 England goals from the spot nine minutes into the second half at Al Bayt Stadium, but he blazed a second penalty over the crossbar 30 minutes later as France held on for a 2-1 quarter-final win. 

Shearer believes the sight of Kane's club team-mate between the sticks impacted his ill-fated second kick, which he says will hurt the Three Lions captain "for the rest of his life".

"Having taken one already, the difference was the difference itself. It becomes a mind game, not only with the goalkeeper but with yourself," Shearer wrote in a column for the Athletic.

"It's human nature. Who blinks first? To me, Harry looked weighed down for his second. Heavier, somehow.

"In that situation, you're confronted with a new set of problems and a new set of siren voices. You think 's***, what do I do now?' 

"Do I do the same as last time, do I stick with what I'm good at, do I change it up? 

"In Harry's case, he's playing against his Tottenham Hotspur team-mate in Hugo Lloris and that sense of familiarity is treacherous. Yes, he'd already scored, but Lloris knows his routines, how he practises, the side he naturally favours.

"Trust me, all that plays on your mind in the sparse seconds between the whistle going and you starting your run-up.

"It will hurt Harry for the rest of his life. A day won't go by without him thinking about it or being reminded about it."

Having taken responsibility for England's exit in the aftermath of their defeat, Kane pledged to learn from the experience as he took to social media on Sunday.

"Absolutely gutted. We've given it everything and it's come down to a small detail which I take responsibility for," Kane wrote on Twitter. "There's no hiding from it, it hurts and it'll take some time to get over it, but that's part of sport.

"Now it's about using the experience to be mentally and physically stronger for the next challenge. Thanks for all the support throughout the tournament – it means a lot."

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham also expressed his support for Kane – as well as for England boss Gareth Southgate – in a statement released on Sunday.

"Like all England fans, we feel the pain of losing a quarter-final, along with the coaches, players and support team who are hurting this morning," the statement began.

"Gareth and Steve [Holland] prepared the team exceptionally well throughout the tournament. The players were committed to winning the trophy and were led very well by Harry Kane.

"But sport can have fine margins, and on the day, against the current world champions, it was not to be.

"This is a very exciting young English squad, and despite the intense disappointment of last night, they should be incredibly proud of their performances in Qatar."

Jude Bellingham and Harry Maguire both believe referee Wilton Sampaio was not at the level needed for a World Cup quarter-final following England's loss to France.

The Three Lions saw their quest for a third successive semi-final appearance in major tournaments brought to an end by the holders, who claimed a 2-1 win in Al Khor.

Though England controlled a tight encounter for long periods, they often found themselves pegged back by a vigorous French defence, with referee Sampaio happy to let several industrial challenges slide.

Bellingham acknowledged any official can have a tough match afterwards, but felt the Brazilian was not up to scratch for a match of such prestige.

"Anyone can have a bad game, players and referees," he told ITV. "[But] I think he wasn't where he should have been today in terms of the level for a game like this.

"There are more factors as to why we lost. This definitely isn't me putting it all on him, [as] we were the ones who played the game. But I don't think he was at the level tonight.

"I think there were a few [fouls] around the box in the first half. We are deadly at set pieces, and I think any one of those can make the difference."

France scored their opening goal on the back of a contentious no-foul call for a tackle on Bukayo Saka, while England's second penalty - which Harry Kane decisively missed - needed a VAR intervention to be awarded.

Maguire was less than impressed too, telling BBC Sport: "From minute one, there were five or six fouls not one yellow card. It's a foul for the first goal, leading up to it on Bukayo.

"I can't really go into explaining how bad his performance was. I don't want to go into too much because I'll end up getting fined.

"But even though the big decisions were wrong, he never gave us anything. Throughout the game he was really poor."

West Indies Women head coach Courtney Walsh has expressed disappointment with an overall tepid batting display in a 3-0 One Day International series loss to England Women.

After losing the first two matches by margin of 142 runs, things did not get better for the Caribbean team as England closed out the series with another dominant display in 151 run win margin on Friday.

At the crease for the series, overall, while England averaged 274, the Windies could only manage 131, producing their lowest total of in the final game, avter limping to 105.  On the back of a battling display against New Zealand Women, in September, Walsh admits that he was expecting a better performance from the team.

“I thought that it was a poor series by us.  We did not play the type of cricket that we wanted to play.  England outplayed us,” Walsh said.

“The bowling was not bad and the fielding was not bad but in all three games the batting wasn’t what we expected, wanted or were looking for,” he added.

“It was a lot of disappointment because I know we can play better cricket than that and we did not show that.”

Rashada Williams was the team’s highest scorer over the 3 matches, making a combined total 93 after scoring a half century in the first match.  The team will now turn its attention to the T20 series, which bowls off on Sunday.

 

 

 

Gareth Southgate will take his time to "make the correct decision" regarding his future as England manager but was encouraged by the way his young team went toe to toe with France on Saturday.

England were the better team for long periods at Al Bayt but ultimately fell short with Olivier Giroud's 78th-minute header proving to be decisive as Les Bleus clinched a 2-1 win to set up a semi-final with Morocco on Wednesday.

Southgate's contract runs until the end of the European Championship in 2024, but he will use the next few weeks to reflect on whether he wants to carry on.

He said: "Whenever I have finished these tournaments I have needed time to make the correct decision because you go through so many feelings.

"I want to make the right decision, whatever that is for the team, for England and for the Football Association. It's right to take some time to do that because I know how my feelings have fluctuated in the immediate aftermath of previous tournaments.

"It's the decision to go again, it's a lot of energy and you have to make sure you're ready for that. There are Euro qualifiers in March and there's too much in my head to think about that tonight.

"I wanted to focus on this tournament and I think we've given a really good account of ourselves. But in the end only one team wins and we've fallen just short."

Southgate led England to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia four years ago and the final of Euro 2020, yet his critics have continued to accuse him of playing in a negative manner.

That certainly wasn't the case in Qatar, with no team scoring more than England's nine goals in the group phase before a 3-0 round of 16 win over Senegal.

And against France, England played front-foot football that troubled the defending champions throughout.

Southgate added: "I think it's the best we've played against a major nation in the period I have been in charge but the scoreline is all that matters.

"They know how close they've come. They know they've pushed a top nation all the way. We had more possession, more attempts on goal…I am very proud of how they've been, not just tonight but throughout the tournament.

"We've shown a different face in terms of how we've played. We wanted to go toe to toe with the top nations, that's how we approached this tournament and we've done that. There's so much to be excited about given the age of some of the players.

"We've shown the rest of the world that English football is healthy and we have some very good players, not just for now but for the future as well."

England captain Harry Kane had the chance to take the game to extra time following Giroud's goal but blazed an 84th-minute penalty over the crossbar.

He had earlier netted from the spot to cancel out Aurelien Tchouameni's first-half opener and Southgate was quick to defend the Tottenham striker.

"He's very low but he's got nothing to reproach himself for," he said.

"We're in the position we are as a team due to his goals and his leadership over a long period of time. The result was due to 100 minutes of football and things that happened at both ends of the pitch.

"Even if the penalty goes in we've still got a lot to do to win the game. We win and lose together.

"It was difficult when you get a second penalty against a goalkeeper you know very well [Kane's Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris]. Even the best are going to miss at times, that's football.

"But there's no-one I'd rather have in that situation and if we got a penalty tomorrow I'd feel the same way.

"It's cruel for him because he will feel disappointed in himself, but he shouldn't."

Harry Kane took responsibility for England's World Cup exit after blazing a late penalty over the bar in the Three Lions' 2-1 defeat to France, saying he will "have to live with" the error.

England more than matched France during Saturday's tense quarter-final at Al Bayt Stadium, with Kane cancelling out Aurelien Tchouameni's opener from the spot after the France midfielder fouled Bukayo Saka in the area.

However, Olivier Giroud restored the holders' lead with 12 minutes remaining, and Kane was unable to score again when Theo Hernandez conceded a second penalty six minutes from time, firing over the crossbar.

The miss saw Kane squander the chance to surpass Wayne Rooney as England's all-time top goalscorer with his 54th international strike, while the Three Lions fell to their seventh World Cup quarter-final elimination – a tournament record.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the defeat, England's captain fronted up to his mistake and praised his team-mates for going toe-to-toe with the world champions.

"It's tough to take for me personally and for the team," he said. "I couldn't be prouder of the boys. We had better spells, better chances, but football comes down to small details. 

"As the captain and the one who missed the penalty, I take responsibility for that. I can't fault my preparation or the details before the game. 

"I felt confident taking it, I just didn't execute it the way I wanted to. It will be something I have to live with and take on the chin.

"The team is in a really good place and there will be highs in the future. Standing here now, we are gutted it has come to an end as we had full belief we could go all the way. We can be proud of what we've done."

Kane is the first player to both score and miss a penalty in a World Cup match (excluding shoot-outs) since Michal Bilek did so for Czechoslovakia against the United States in 1990.

He has scored more World Cup penalties than any other player (four).

The miss leaves Kane level with Rooney on 53 England goals, and the Manchester United great expressed his support for the Three Lions skipper after the loss.

"Absolutely gutted for the lads but proud of the way they've played this tournament and they should be proud," Rooney said on Twitter.

"Congratulations to Harry Kane on equalling the record, he'll be on his own soon and I couldn't think of anyone better to take over. Keep your head up Harry."

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