England players dejected after their loss to France. Photo / AP
England players dejected after their loss to France. Photo / AP
NZME’s world-renowned football blog Goalmouth Scramble is back. Our rotating stable of football writers will offer daily hot takes on all the action from the World Cup in Qatar. Today, Michael Burgess feels for England after yet another World Cup heartbreak.
OPINION:
If you have any English friends or acquaintances,be kind.
Today is not the day for jibes, jokes, derision, or scorn.
Fifty years ago controversial talk back host Tim Bickerstaff launched his notorious ‘Punch a Pom a day’ campaign, in response to Keith Murdoch being sent home from an All Blacks tour.
That stunt rightly belongs in the dark ages, but maybe it’s time for a new initiative, with ‘hug’ being the key verb.
Our English brethren are suffering. They should be.
In the long pantheon of English defeats at major football tournaments, Sunday’s loss to France will take some beating.
It continues the tradition of heartache for their fans, that goes way beyond anything that All Black supporters have ever suffered.
There will be the usual rhetoric that England blew it, like they always do. But did they?
Yes and no.
Given what we have seen in this tournament, the officials made some strange decisions.
England's Jude Bellingham protests a decision by referee Wilton Sampaio. Photo / AP
The worst was ignoring the foul on Bukayo Saka before France’s first goal, a clear transgression that has been called 99 per cent of the time in Doha.
While it was correct that the officials didn’t go back to it once it had been missed on field — as several phases had passed — it was unfortunate.
There was also the first half bump on Harry Kane. Maybe it was millimetres outside the penalty area — maybe — but the burden of proof used contrasted with most previous decisions over the last few weeks, where the referee would at least have been called to the pitch side monitor.
Kane’s missed 84th minute penalty is the obvious flashpoint. It was a stunning moment, especially for one of the world’s best spot kick exponents.
When the kick was awarded the mind went back to Italia 90, when England played Cameroon in the quarter-final. Trailing 2-1 in the second half, England got home thanks to two Gary Lineker penalties.
When the second one was awarded, BBC commentator John Motson surmised about a school of thought that the same player shouldn’t attempt two spot kicks.
Lineker prevailed — banging his effort down the middle — but that was a different world. There was little analysis back then and the Cameroon keeper had probably barely seen Lineker play, in contrast to French keeper Hugo Lloris, who has been teammates at Tottenham Hotspur with Kane for almost a decade.
The other issue was coach Gareth Southgate’s substitutions.
Taking Saka off was hard to understand, as he was confident and creating havoc, as was delaying the introduction of Marcus Rashford, a natural goal scorer in the squad.
England will be disappointed with both French goals. As noted by Peter Schmeichel in coverage, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was fractionally too deep to stop the first, while defending aerial crosses is England’s strength, even if Antoine Griezmann’s cross for the second goal was unbelievably perfect.
But in all other ways, those wearing the Three Lions delivered.
England's Harry Kane reacts after missing a penalty during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between England and France, at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
They were the better team across most of the match, with France resorting to cynical fouls to stifle their momentum, in the best England performance against a major nation for an age.
But the manner of their defeat will continue the theme that England can’t do it when it matters, a narrative that goes back to 1970, when the reigning world champions gave up a 2-0 lead over West Germany to lose in extra time.
It’s true that England have found some inexplicable ways to lose, but they haven’t always been blessed with luck, from Chris Waddle hitting the post in extra time against West Germany in 1990, to Darren Anderton doing the same thing in the Euro 96 semifinal.
Then there was Sol Campbell’s goal being scratched in 1998 against Argentina while Rashford was centimetres away from being a hero — rather than a villain — in last year’s Euro final against Italy.
They’ve lost shootouts in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2012 and 2021.
But now the wait goes on and this defeat will sting.
With so many other contenders out of the picture and a last four clash against unheralded Morocco, England had an amazing opportunity.
It’s a young England team, most of whom will be around for the 2026 World Cup but other nations will strengthen and revive too, with more, rather than less contenders.
Since their 1966 triumph at Wembley seven different countries have claimed the trophy, while another two (Holland and Croatia) have reached the final.
Germany have contested six World Cup deciders in that time, with Brazil, Italy and Argentina reaching four, the Dutch three and England none.
It’s a wait that makes our Rugby World Cup vacuum between 1987 and 2011 seem trifling.
Given the comparatively small field of major nations and lack of depth, the All Blacks know they are virtually guaranteed to make the semifinals — so will always have more chances.
