Qatar World Cup: England knocked out after quarter-final defeat to holders France

Harry Kane has taken responsibility for England's World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of France, saying: "I will take it on the chin and of course it hurts now, and it will hurt for a long time, but that's part of being captain and a leader in the team."

Having reached the semi-finals in 2018 and then finishing runners-up at last year's European Championship, Gareth Southgate's men were confident of a ticket to the semi-final.

Despite going behind to an early first-half goal, England pulled level through a Kane penalty but Olivier Giroud put the French back in front.

Kane had a further chance to equalise from the penalty spot but blazed over the bar, prompting many fans to put their head in their hands and watch on in silence.

His miss came with just seven minutes of normal time remaining, resulting in an agonising 2-1 loss for England.

"It is a really tough night to take," Kane said in the aftermath of the defeat.

"I'm gutted, the team are gutted. We had full belief that we could achieve something special at this World Cup but it came down to small details.

"I thought on the night we had the better chances and better spells in the game. It comes down to execution. As captain, I take it on the chin and responsibility missing the penalty.

"It is hard to take for sure but I can be proud of the group, proud of each other for what we've done. This will hurt for a while but we will dust ourselves down to get ready in the future."

Southgate said captain Kane should not blame himself for his penalty miss, saying: "For me, we win and lose as a team.

"We have let a couple of goals in and missed a few chances.

"He has been incredible for us and is so reliable for us in those situations. We wouldn't be here but for the number of goals he has scored for us."

England have been told they can hold their "heads high" despite losing to France.

The Prime Minister says captain Harry Kane and the rest of the team "gave it everything" but it "wasn't meant to be".

While the Prince and Princess of Wales say they're "gutted" but are "so proud" of the squad and staff.

France took the lead in the 16th minute when Aurelien Tchouameni struck a fierce shot through the legs of Jude Bellingham and beyond the dive of Jordan Pickford.

England claimed Bukayo Saka was fouled in the build-up but despite the protests, the goal was allowed to stand.

And shortly after there were strong claims for an England penalty when Kane went down under a challenge on the edge of the area but after a VAR check, play was waved on.

England seemed to take back control in the second-half and in the 51st minute Saka burst into the box and was brought down, with the referee instantly giving a penalty.

Kane lashed it into the top corner to bring the Three Lions level and equal Wayne Rooney's record as England's all-time top scorer.

But in the 78th minute Giroud beat Harry Maguire in the air to power a header beyond Pickford from Antoine Griezmann's cross.

France will now go on to play Morocco, after the Atlas Lions' victory over Portugal on Saturday afternoon.