Southgate leaves open the possibility of leaving England

Replacing Sam Allardyce since 2016, Southgate has helped England gradually improve its performance. They finished fourth in the 2018 World Cup, third in the 2019 UEFA Nations League and second in Euro 2021 - the tournament was postponed for a year due to Covid-19. He has a contract until 2024 and cannot help "Three Lions" reach the semi-finals of three major tournaments in a row when he stopped in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup yesterday.

"After every tournament, we sit back, review, analyze and reflect on everything. It takes a bit of time to make sure everyone makes the right decisions," Southgate replied when asked about the game. the future after the defeat at Al Bayt.

At Al Bayt, France went ahead twice in each half thanks to Aurelien Tchouameni's long-range strike and Olivier Giroud's header. After both, England were awarded a penalty. In the first attempt in the 52nd minute, captain Harry Kane shot to the left corner, against the direction of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, shortening the score to 1-2. But in the 82nd minute, Kane shot over the bar, missed the opportunity to equalize and broke Wayne Rooney's all-time scoring record with 53 goals for England and made the "Three Lions" fall.

Southgate praised the players for their outstanding performance and dedication. "The performance deserves a better result, but in the end it's the goal that decides the game," said the 52-year-old coach. "I can't ask the players to contribute more. They played too well against the top team."

Southgate also denied that England lost because of a lack of bravery and sharpness in finishing. He said: "At the key moments you are playing the top game where the chances are going to be created. In most of the key moments we were in the right position. He had a lot of shots on target. Jordan Pickford made a lot of great saves, but this was a game with good margins."

The England head coach also defended Kane when he missed the decisive penalty. "We win and lose as a team," Southgate insisted. "Kane is an outstanding player, and very reliable in such situations. England would not be where it is now without Kane's goals."

Southgate declined to comment on the decisions of referee Wilton Sampaio and the VAR team, but admitted that the "Three Lions" had missed a great opportunity to win the World Cup for the second time, after 1966. "We are here to win the championship. enemy," he said. "We believe we can, and the show against the defending champions shows that we can do it."