World Cup 2022: Why Rio Ferdinand Blames Southgate for England’s Exit

• Former England defender Rio Ferdinand has blamed Gareth Southgate for England's loss to France
• The Three Lions lost 2-1 in the quarter-final of the 2022 World Cup to reigning champions France
• Gareth Southgate's side dominated the game but lacked the cutting edge to win the game
• Captain Harry Kane missed a crucial penalty late in the match which confirmed England's exit

England fans are still digesting their painful elimination from the 2022 World Cup by defending champions France.

England dominated possession against the French but couldn't create enough clear-cut chances to win the quarter-final encounter.

Meanwhile, the French did enough to win the game despite not playing at their best, with their best player Kylian Mbappe playing way below his normal standards.

Aurelien Tchouameni's long-range stunner opened the scoring for the 2018 champions before Olivier Giroud grabbed the winner late in the match.

Denmark's World Cup squad: Which players will be booting up for the Danish Dynamites in Qatar?

Football

Harry Kane equalized for England early in the second half to make it 1-1 before Giroud scored the second for France.

Harry Kane was offered the chance to make history after England were awarded a penalty late in the game. He inexplicably blazed the penalty over the bar.

The penalty miss effectively ended England's campaign in Qatar, Sky Sports notes.

Ferdinand blames Southgate

According to MEN, Ferdinand says Southgate failed to react quickly to substitutions.

The England manager made the first substitutions after Giroud scored in the 78th minute. He subbed out the impressive Bukayo Saka and Jordan Henderson and brought on Mason Mound and Raheem Sterling.

"I think Gareth Southgate came up short in the tactical element in terms of substitutions."

Ghana's World Cup squad in 2022: Who is in, out, and why?

Football

"It hit 1-1 and we’re sitting there going 'take the bull by the horns, make a substitution, get us on the front foot'. You’ve got Rashford, you’ve got Grealish who can go on, get us on the front foot and change this game."

Mount won Kane's second penalty but both substitutions were underwhelming. Marcus Rashford, one of England's best players at the tournament was brought in the 85th minute.

The likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and James Maddison, players who could make a difference did not play.

Kane opens up after England's exit

Sports Brief earlier reported on Kane breaking his silence after England's heartbreaking defeat in the quarterfinals

The moment of the match was when the Tottenham Hotspur striker blazed his second penalty over the bar. He fell to his knees at the final whistle, knowing England's World Cup dream was over, again.

The 29-year-old took to Twitter to say it will take time for the heartbreaking loss to sink in. He took responsibility for the penalty miss.