In the wake of England’s 2022 World Cup defeat, Prince William has shown his support for the team. On Saturday, France edged out the Three Lions 2-1 in a dramatic game in Qatar, sending England home before the semifinals after English captain Harry Kane missed a second penalty kick in the second half to tie the game.
The 40-year-old Prince of Wales tweeted messages of encouragement to Kane, 29, team manager Gareth Southgate, and the rest of the squad. “Gareth, Harry, and the whole @England squad and staff gutted for all of you,” he wrote. “You put so much into this tournament, and we are all so proud of you. Heads held high and on to the next one! W.” While praising his team’s efforts in an interview with ITV, Southgate, 52, said, “Our performance deserved better.”
Prince William Reacts To England’s Loss During 2022 World Cup: ‘Gutted for All of You’
“Goals are decisive, but I’ve just told the players, I don’t think they could have given any more. I think they played well against a top team,” he explained. “There are fine margins, things at both ends that have ended up deciding the game, but the way the players have progressed through this tournament has been fantastic.”
“In most of the big moments, we were in the right place. We had more shots on goal. But it’s a game of fine margins,” Southgate further stated. The Atlas Lions became the first African team to reach the semifinals with their victory over Portugal this weekend, and as a result, France will play Morocco on Wednesday.
Youssef En-Nesyri scored the game’s sole goal soon before halftime as Morocco celebrated their triumph. Despite Joo Félix’s early game attempts and Cristiano Ronaldo’s summoning from the substitutes bench after halftime, Portugal could not exploit Morocco’s defensive plan. Instead, Yahia Attiyat-Allah and En-Nesyri, 25, worked together to help the ball get past Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa and into the goal.
