England stars’ dressing room reaction to Southgate’s moving speech

England head for home as World Cup hopes are ended

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There was numbness and a feeling that England had been better than World Cup quarter-final nemesis France in the Three Lions dressing room on Saturday evening, according to reports. Gareth Southgate emotionally addressed his players after their defeat and praised them for going toe-to-toe with the reigning world champions.

England were unfortunate against the French and felt they were the victims of some terrible refereeing decisions. Harry Maguire and Jude Bellingham have both slammed FIFA official Wilton Sampaio, who missed several key moments. 

Olivier Giroud’s goal proved decisive, while Harry Kane missed a late penalty. Southgate, with his voice cracking, told his players they had been the “superior” team against a strong France side. 

As the England boss spoke, there was a ‘worse’ feeling among his players than when they lost the semi-final in 2018 and the Euro 2020 final. A strong ‘numbness’ was felt around the room.

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That is according to the Independent, who report that England’s players felt worse than they did after previous defeats because they had been genuinely better than their opponents. Southgate’s side had plenty of opportunities to win the game, while Kane uncharacteristically squandered his second spot-kick in Al-Bayt. 

The report adds that England’s players no longer feel they are on a journey, like they did in 2018 and 2021. There is a belief that the journey must now be ended with a trophy to show for the remarkable strides made by the national team under Southgate. 

Defender Harry Maguire said: “We’re hurting, we’re really disappointed. Listen, we were the better team in the game, for sure. I think anyone who was watching the game, who is neutral, will say we dominated the game for large periods. 

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“Big decisions went against us. A lot of decisions went against us, should I say. But we fought, we kept pushing, we created chance after chance, but they (France) have been clinical in two moments. 

“That’s why they’re the world champions. I’d say that’s why they’re probably the favourites to win the tournament.”

England must overcome their disappointment ahead of their Euro 2024 qualification campaign. The Three Lions are in a tough group that also includes Ukraine and Euro 2020 winners Italy. 

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