Gareth Southgate showed his classy nature when reacting to England 's gut-wrenching World Cup exit.
The Three Lions were beaten 2-1 by reigning champions France on Saturday in controversial circumstances, as fans fumed at referee Wilton Sampaio's performance. But Southgate wasn't keen to play the blame game, instead focussing on how well his players had performed during a thrilling 90 minutes and congratulating the opposition.
"It's pointless me going into that," the 52-year-old replied after being asked by ITV to assess Sampaio's much-maligned display. "I'd rather talk about our players. Congratulations to France, they know they've been in a hell of a game and we've given a top team a game and I don't think we could've done anymore."
Unfortunately for England, they were left ruing Harry Kane 's late penalty miss which put the nail in their World Cup coffin. Aurelien Tchouameni had given France an early lead in the 17th minute, a goal which was marred by controversy, as Sampaio didn't award the Three Lions a foul despite Bukayo Saka going down under a challenge from Dayot Upamecano.
Following a good response from England, Kane was denied a penalty after being taken down on the edge box, with Upamecano again the culprit. The Brazilian referee didn't even blow his whistle for a free-kick, as replays showed that the Three Lions captain had clearly been fouled regardless whether or not the incident occurred inside the penalty area.
Shortly after the break, Kane did get a penalty shot when Saka was taken down by hero-turned-villain Tchouameni. The Tottenham Hotspur striker sent club teammate Hugo Lloris the wrong way and emphatically drew England level. It didn't last long though, as Olivier Giroud headed France back in front with 12 minutes of normal time remaining.
Then came another penalty for Southgate and co - but this time Kane stunningly blazed over. It left the Three Lions manager gutted but proud of his side's showing. "I think the performance did [deserve better]," Southgate affirmed. "Goals are decisive but I've just said to the players in there, I don't think they can give anymore, they done well against a top team.
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"It's fine margins, things at both ends of the pitch have decided the game I think the way they've progressed through the tournament has been fantastic. For me, we win and lose as a team. We conceded two goals and missed a few chances. [Harry] has been incredible for us, so reliable in those situations. We wouldn't be here but for the number of goals he's scored for us.
"I think we were here to try win the tournament. We had belief we could and with the performance tonight against the reigning champions, we’ve got a team that could've done that."
On the future, with his contract not expiring until after the European Championships in 2024, Southgate added: "I think after every tournament, we've sat and reviewed and that needs a little bit of time so everyone makes the right decisions."
