England’s World Cup ends well short of their goal, but the Three

After going toe to toe with the reigning World Cup champions, it’s fair to question what more do England need to do to. England’s chance to secure their first World Cup title since 1966 ended in disappointment although not how they expected. Harry Kane feels automatic from the penalty spot especially after blasting a take past Hugo Lloris earlier in the match, but in his second chance, his effort went over the bar and into the stands. With a chance to bring things level, the Word Cup ended much in the way of the Euros with penalties being the letdown, but the Three Lions should be proud of their performance.

Not only did England win the xG battle 2.32 to 1.19, but there wasn’t a glaring negative performance in their starting XI as Gareth Southgate got his tactics right. England dropped their conservative 3-4-3 for a 4-3-3 and were rewarded with the team netting 13 goals in Qatar. They played well enough to win but sometimes things just don’t go your way in a knockout tournament. After a fourth-place finish at the World Cup in Russia in 2018, making the Euro 2020 final but losing on penalties to Italy, England followed it up with this loss to France and a fifth-place finish at the 2022 World Cup.