England manager Gareth Southgate and midfielder Jordan Henderson have thrown their support behind Harry Kane after his missed penalty in the World Cup quarter-final defeat to France on Saturday night.
Kane had pulled England level from the spot early in the second half after France took a 17th-minute lead through Aurelien Tchouameni's long-range effort. The World Cup holders retook the lead with an Olivier Giroud header 12 minutes from time, before Kane had the chance to restore parity with a second penalty but blazed his effort well over the bar.
"We know how many penalties Harry has scored for us," England midfielder Henderson said after the 2-1 loss at Al Bayt Stadium.
"He scored the first one and how many goals he has scored to get us here ... he'll be stronger for it in the long run I'm sure. He's a world-class striker and our captain and we wouldn't have even been here without him."
The first penalty was Kane's 53rd goal for his country, drawing him level with Wayne Rooney as England's all time top scorer in international football.
Kane was top scorer in Russia four years ago with six goals as England reached the semi-finals but the 29-year-old Tottenham forward managed only two in Qatar.
England manager Southgate also backed his captain, saying: "For me, we win and lose as a team and we've let a couple of goals in and missed a few chances.
"Harry has been incredible for us, so reliable in those sorts of situations. We wouldn't be here, but for the number of goals he scored for us."
England had been confident of a good showing in Qatar after reaching the World Cup last four in 2018 and the final of the European Championship last year.
"It feels like a missed chance because I felt the performances were really good and the focus and the hunger was good every single day," Henderson said.
"You've got to give credit to France, they're a good team. But I think I felt it was there for us to win tonight. "
England were chasing the game after going behind to Tchouameni's strike but were the much better side in the second half.
"It was disappointing to go 1-0 down but I thought we showed character and the mentality to keep going in the second half and find the equaliser," Henderson said. "We gave it everything and it wasn't our night."
England v France player ratings
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ENGLAND RATINGS: Jordan Pickford – 6. England’s No 1 did well despite conceding twice. He saw Tchouameni’s effort late for France’s first, and he could do nothing about Giroud’s bullet header. He kept England in the game to deny France at close-range with an acrobatic save. EPA -
Kyle Walker – 7. Tasked with handling Mbappe, a big performance was needed, and he did better than most players this tournament. He marshalled him well and even managed to attack several times in the second half. AFP -
John Stones – 6. The Manchester City defender was guilty of losing Giroud in the first half to allow a headed chance, but he did show off some good passing play, with England playing out from the back. Getty -
Harry Maguire – 6. The Manchester United centre-back looked strong, making several good clearances, especially from a Mbappe cross which was heading straight to Giroud. He also nearly scored, but his header fizzed just wide. However, he was also partially at fault for France’s second as he allowed Giroud to get in front of him and head the ball home. AP -
Luke Shaw – 6. The left-back was found often diving in a bit too early on challenges in the first half, but he stepped up his game in the second with a brilliant attacking run leading to a cross to Saka, which was met and fired just wide. AFP -
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Quarter Final - England v France - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar - December 11, 2022 England's Jordan Henderson and Jude Bellingham look dejected after the match as England are eliminated from the World Cup REUTERS / Annegret Hilse -
Declan Rice – 7. England’s midfield anchor went under the radar in the first half, but grew into the game and helped England’s transitions from defence to attack. Formed a great barrier in front of the defence too. Getty -
Jordan Henderson – 7. Liverpool’s captain gave everything. Constantly chasing the ball down, he also helped to create many attacking plays for England. AFP -
Jude Bellingham – 6. The midfielder was wasteful with his passing in the first half. His second half was much better, and he nearly scored a thunderbolt but Lloris tipped it over. EPA -
Bukayo Saka – 8. Arsenal’s wideman was England’s standout performer. Constantly fouled, he had Theo Hernandez on toast, and was key to England’s attacking play. He was brought down in the box for the first penalty, and played well until he was taken off in the 78th minute. Getty -
Phil Foden – 7. The City winger improved as the game went on and caused Kounde vast trouble out on the left flank. His quality of delivery was quality, and his standout attribute was his close interplay in tight areas. Reuters -
Harry Kane – 6. England’s captain led the line with distinction, carrying the ball forward well and getting several powerful shots away. His first penalty was converted brilliantly, but suffered heartbreak with penalty number two. Getty -
SUBS: Raheem Sterling (Saka 78’) – N/A. After returning to the squad, Sterling was brought on in the late phases and didn’t have a huge impact, with his key moment a good tackle on Mbappe to stop an attack. EPA -
SUBS: Mason Mount (Henderson 78’) – N/A. Mount was fouled in the box soon after coming on and VAR helped to award a penalty. He also drew a number of fouls, but his decision making at times wasn’t always brilliant. AFP -
Marcus Rashford (Foden 84) – N/A. Being one of England’s most in-form players this tournament, he was brought on in the latter stages and fired over with a late free-kick. AP -
Jack Grealish (Stones, 90) – N/A. A strange substitute in the final minute, as there was very little he could add to the game. Getty -
FRANCE RATINGS: Hugo Lloris – 8. The France captain stepped up and made a number of key stops to deny Kane in the first half and Bellingham in the second. He led from the back with a true captain’s performance. AFP -
Jules Kounde – 6. The Barcelona defender had a tough evening, with Foden often getting the better of him along his flank. EPA -
Raphael Varane – 6. The experienced defender contributed some slick passes but like his teammates looked nervous at times. AFP -
Dayot Upamecano – 5. France’s weakest link in the team on the day, the defender was lucky to get away with numerous fouls throughout the game, with one on Kane leading to a VAR check. Constantly dived into challenges. AP -
Theo Hernandez – 5. Struggled to keep up with Saka, the left-back seemed at odds with how to handle the Arsenal winger. He gave away a penalty after fouling Mount in the box and was lucky to not be sent off. A poor performer in an overall good team performance. PA -
Albert Tchouameni – 7. The young midfielder put France ahead and ignited their progression with a thundering strike from outside the box. He did, however, give away the first penalty with a bad tackle on Saka. AFP -
Adrien Rabiot – 6. The Juventus midfielder was lucky to get away with several fouls, with Saka the victim time and again. He did however set up some good chances, breaking forward with purpose, and having a shot of his own denied by Pickford. AFP -
Ousmane Dembele – 6. The rapid winger contributed several one-touch passes down the line leading to attacking chances. His dribbling was of high quality too, but his second half performance was tarnished by missed chances and several fouls before being taken off. AFP -
Antoine Griezmann – 8. Operating well in the No 10 role, the Atletico attacker had a good game, showcasing his close control footwork and making a number of good runs forward and sending the England players in several directions. He did give away a number of fouls, but was key in his teams winning performance. PA -
Kylian Mbappe – 6. France’s dangerman spent the game tightly man-marked but still managed to escape on numerous occasions. He had a chance late in the first half but blazed over. AFP -
Oliver Giroud – 8. The nation’s leading goalscorer didn’t disappoint, adding another to his tally to send his team through to the semi-finals, heading home a cross late on in the 88th minute. He had several shots throughout and even attempted a scorpion kick. Reuters -
SUBS: Kingsley Coman (Dembele 79’) – N/A. The lone substitute came on in the 78th minute and his biggest contribution was a foul he gave away after he took down Maguire on the edge of his own box. EPA
Southgate said he did not think England could have done any more and had given the world champions a great game.
"I think it was just the key moments, you're playing in a high level game where there aren't going to be many chances created and within most of the big moments we were in the right place," he said.
"We had more shots on goal and yeah the goalkeeper's made a couple of really good saves for us. But it's a game of fine margins."
France progress to face history-makers Morocco, who became the first African side to reach the semi-finals when they beat Portugal 1-0 earlier on Saturday. The other semi-final will be contested by 2018 finalists Croatia and Argentina.
