Roy Keane has accused England of ‘finding a way to lose’ during their dramatic World Cup exit vs France.
England’s hopes of reaching a third successive major tournament semi final were ended on Saturday night as they lost 2-1 to the reigning world champions. The Three Lions fell behind in the first half, but restored parity after the break through a Harry Kane penalty.
Gareth Southgate’s side were well on top at that point, but failed to capitalise on their dominance, allowing their opponents back into the game. And they were made to rue their backwards step when Olivier Giroud put the French back in front.
Kane was given a chance to equalise for the second time from the spot, but fired his penalty over the crossbar. It was the latest chapter in England’s long history of tournament heartache, but Keane has claimed their defeat was self-inflicted.
The former Manchester United skipper believes England took their foot off France’s throat, claiming he would have kept the pressure on - had he been on the pitch.
“That’s where the players have to take control,” Keane told ITV Sport. “Maybe experience in big tournaments - I know a lot of the players in that England team have won trophies at club level - but when we were at the game the other night against France, I’d try and describe it if I was in that position it was like you have your foot on somebody's throat, you’ve got to press down.
“Don’t ease off, because you take the pressure off a good team like France and England are gonna find that they have quality, and as soon as they eased off they got punished for it.”
He added: “Fine details, though, Harry Kane scored the penalty, but when they had those chances with that possession, you have to find a way to win, and what England are doing in a lot of these big games is finding a way to lose.”
Their exit now brings Southgate’s future as manager into focus. The former Middlesbrough boss has a contract until 2024 but has admitted he is yet to reach a final decision over whether he will stay on or not.
And Keane thinks if Southgate’s heart is no longer in it, the time is right for him to stand down: “I think Gareth should stay, but aso in his mindset, if he feels he’s ran his race for them then don’t hang around. Move on.”
England’s dejected stars have now arrived back in the United Kingdom ahead of the return to domestic football. Jude Bellingham, the standout player in Southgate’s squad, argued that the better team lost out on the chance to face Morocco on Wednesday,
“This one will be painful for a very long time,” he posted on social media. “The better team on the night went out, that’s football sometimes. Regardless, I’m so proud of the effort, fight and performance from my teammates over the course of the whole tournament.
“Thank you also to the fans for the love and support these past few weeks, stick with us even in this low moment as we use this experience to continue to grow as a team for future tournaments. Keep the faith, our time will come.”
