It was not meant to be. England crashed out of yet another tournament following more penalty heartbreak, with the Three Lions exiting the World Cup after losing 2-1 to France following Harry Kane's late spot-kick miss.
Kane had scored earlier from the penalty spot, netting 54 minutes in to cancel out Aurelien Tchouameni's stunning first-half strike, and England looked the better side for long periods of the quarter-final against the world champions. But France are the World Cup holders for a reason, and Olivier Giroud's clinical header off a devilish Antoine Griezmann cross restored the lead for Les Bleus with 12 minutes of normal time remaining.
Mason Mount was clumsily fouled by Theo Hernandez with six minutes to go, but Kane - facing Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris - could only sky his second penalty of the game over the bar, with England unable to find another equaliser.
It was a strong effort from Gareth Southgate's squad as England made France look distinctly ordinary, but the Three Lions couldn't make the breakthrough when they were on top after Kane's goal - and they paid dearly for it. But despite the disappointment, there is still plenty to be proud of: the Three Lions reached the quarter-finals, and there is little shame in losing to the world champions - especially after keeping Kylian Mbappe quiet.
Southgate also boasts a young squad who are yet to fulfil their potential, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and more only likely to get better when England go again at Euro 2024. Football may not be coming home this winter for the men's squad, but you can still tell them how proud you are of their efforts on our special cheer map below.
England cheer map
Simply fill in the widget above to show your support for the Three Lions and join the cheer map.
You’ll also be given the chance to sign up to our brilliant World Cup newsletter, bringing you the latest from the England camp in Qatar and the tournament as a whole.
If the Cheer Map is not showing correctly above, please click here.
