Gary Neville on England’s World Cup exit to France: Referee was a joke but this was a massive missed opportunity | Football News

Gary Neville fumed on the referee as England crashed out of the World Cup to France, calling him “a joke” and “rank bad”.

Wilton Sampaio’s decision-making was underneath the highlight when Bukayo Saka was caught by Dayot Upamecano within the build-up to Aurelien Tchouameni’s opening aim for France.

The French defender was concerned once more later within the half, seemingly fouling Harry Kane as he entered the field on the proper but VAR failed to intervene, presumably deeming the contact exterior the field.

England did lastly get a penalty when Saka was fouled by Tchouameni earlier than VAR had to step in to award their second penalty for a foul on Mason Mount, though Kane fired the decisive penalty over.

Neville mentioned of the referee: “He had an absolute nightmare. A joke of a referee. I’m not saying it was all down to England’s defeat – people will say it is excuses – but he’s just a bad referee, rank bad.”

Neville believed France’s first aim ought to have been dominated out for the foul on Saka: “It’s a simple decision. He kicks his leg away – I’m not sure why that isn’t a foul. He’s nibbled and he’s kicked him. It should be a free-kick. Upamecano has tried to win the ball on three or four occasions where he can’t win the ball, on Saka, on Kane.”

Elaborating on Sky Sports News, Neville added: “I believed he was terrible. That is just not me blaming the referee for England being out, by the way in which, I simply thought he was completely terrible. I do not truly say that anymore. I used to after I performed. But it’s uncommon now.

“I thought he was a shocker. We were sat right there in that corner where the penalty was with Harry Kane in the first half. It felt like we were on top of it. There were three or four fouls in that area of the pitch in the first half where you were thinking, ‘How has that not been given?’. It was weird.

“Even the penalty that was given in opposition to Theo Hernandez was not given on the pitch. Don’t overthink that. It was a blatant foul, that. The full-back thought he had misplaced his man and he was going to rating so he made a double mistake by barging him within the again.

“The referee was so bad.”

Neville on England’s missed opportunity

“You get this feeling every couple of years, every four years and you feel a bit hungover, just a little bit low, that’s how I think everybody feels this morning when your team goes out of a tournament,” Neville instructed Sky Sports News on Sunday morning. “I thought the performance was really good.

“Before the sport I believed France have been favourites, I believed they have been the higher group, but I believed truly over the course of the sport, we greater than equalled them.

“I thought second half we were better, first half I thought they were good in parts, we were a little bit scrappy but a missed opportunity definitely, I think, and that’s not being harsh.

“I simply assume that is how the gamers and Gareth will probably be feeling with the work that goes in to get to this stage of a match, the hoops you will have to leap by and figuring out that it solely comes spherical each 4 years and seeing what was in entrance of them within the semi-finals.

“Morocco have performed completely brilliantly, and they’re going to be a actually robust opponent but then you definately assume England vs Morocco in a World Cup semi-final, and once more the opportunity doesn’t turn into any higher than that.

“I think those lads will feel sick this morning, they will feel gutted. I look at some of the lads last night, like Jordan Henderson at his age, doing that interview, in the back of his mind, he’ll be thinking, ‘Am I coming here again? Am I coming to the World Cup again?’.

“Kyle Walker who had a good recreation in opposition to Kylian Mbappe, these kinds of issues are going by my thoughts this morning as a result of I’ve been there in 2006. I really feel like that this morning.

“They did really well, the times I have gone out of tournaments in the past, we haven’t always covered ourselves in glory with the performance, I think the performance last night was really good. It was just those very fine margins, little details.

“Obviously the penalty that Harry has missed as effectively and gutted for him but these are issues that occur in a soccer match, but usually I believed the efficiency was implausible in a actually prime stage recreation in opposition to an opponent that had numerous class.

“There’s nothing worse than coming off a game of football and thinking you were inferior and that you deserve to lose, and that you weren’t the equal of the opposition and you’re a bit of an imposter really, and sometimes I felt like that with England.

“That wasn’t what occurred final evening, we seemed like we dominated the French for giant elements of that second half and we received overwhelmed by a second ourselves with a nice little bit of play from Griezmann, whose ball into the field was great.”

Neville on England competing technically now

“The gamers that we’ve received can carry that ahead and those which are going to be competing within the subsequent match will probably be in a position to take that perception in that we are able to compete with these nations.

“In Euro 96, we have been in all probability in opposition to Germany but in 2004 and 2006, we have been parked on the sting of our personal field, hoping actually that they’d not rating, or that we might get to penalties or that we might nick a aim. That’s not the way in which to dominate and win a soccer match and win a trophy.

“Last night, England will think that is a massive missed opportunity. I think that more this morning than I did last night, just because of the fact the moment was now, and you just don’t know when they are going to come around again.

“I believed that 4 years in the past after we performed in opposition to Croatia but these lads have gotten us into these conditions many times, and there was that little one thing that simply cannot get us over the road. But I really feel like the proper issues are taking place on the pitch.

“We have a technical ability that is growing and the belief that’s growing. In the past certainly, there have been autopsies about tournament exits and defeats, I don’t feel like that this morning at all, I feel missed opportunity, I feel that the lads will be really dejected but not where they will think they were inferior and that has not always been the case.

“There will be people this morning and over the next few days who will be starting to turn the screw a little bit and say that we should be winning these matches, we shouldn’t be accepting that we play well and lose, pretending that everything is good. And I get that a little bit, and you can take that harsh approach if you want, that’s no problem.

“I simply take a look at the efficiency and I believe soccer matches are determined by margins and that is what occurred final evening. There was second final evening the place you probably did really feel they have been there for the taking and we did not go and seize it they usually received the aim to be honest within the interval after that, which may occur.

“There was an element of me thinking go on grab it, and we were grabbing it and were getting to grips with the game, but you do have to get over the line, you just have to, the best teams, the ones that are remembered, do get over the line.

“But I nonetheless really feel like it’s the evolution, it’s a part of the journey. I believed we performed effectively, it was a recreation that we might at all times lose. We have been all in all probability considering that they have been favourites and they might in all probability win six out of 10 video games if we performed in opposition to them.”

Bellingham and Maguire slam referee: ‘Really poor’ – ‘Not at the level’

England’s Jude Bellingham also said after the game that referee Sampaio was “not on the stage” expected for such a big occasion.

Asked about the official’s performance, Bellingham told ITV: “Not nice if I’m being trustworthy, not nice. Anyone can have a unhealthy recreation, gamers and referees. I believe he wasn’t the place he ought to have been as we speak by way of the extent for a recreation like this.

“But there are more factors as to why we lost, this definitely isn’t me putting it all on him, we were the ones who played the game, but yeah I don’t think he was at the level tonight.

“I believe there have been a few [fouls] across the field within the first half, we’re lethal at set items, and I believe any a type of could make the distinction.”

Harry Maguire also told BBC: “Really poor, very poor. From minute one, there have been 5, six fouls within the first quarter-hour, not one yellow card. It’s a foul for the primary aim, main up to it on Bukayo.

“I can’t really go into explaining how bad his performance was. I don’t want to go into too much because I’ll end up getting fined. But even though the big decisions were wrong he never gave us anything, throughout the game he was really poor.”

But supervisor Gareth Southgate stopped wanting criticising Sampaio, saying: “We’ve lost the game. I don’t think about referees. France are a fantastic team, with fantastic players. Didier has done a fantastic job. Congratulations to them. I don’t think it’s right, especially when you lose, to speak about the officials.”

Analysis: Referee efficiency underneath scrutiny

Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol in Qatar:

“From early on, England fans were not happy with the referee.

“For France’s first aim, there appeared to be a clear foul on Saka. On the second penalty, absolutely Theo Hernandez ought to have gotten a pink card for that as a result of he wasn’t attempting to get the ball.

“And everyone sitting around me couldn’t believe Griezmann didn’t receive a red card. How many fouls did he make?

“And why did the referee want to use VAR so typically? Some of the choices ought to have been a clear-cut.

“And why was a referee from Brazil refereeing this game? I presume that he hasn’t taken charge of many games with French and English players.

“I believed the referee’s efficiency was questionable.”