On a despondent morning for England players, Jude Bellingham had a final message for fans before heading to a flight out of Qatar.
“Stick with us,” the 19-year-old told Sky News outside the team hotel at Souq Al Wakra, where one family of supporters gathered on a beach-side street.
There was no big farewell photo outside, with players departing separately – some in small groups in taxis, others on the team coach.
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Checking out a week before the end of tournaments is now unfamiliar for England.
Their quarter-final exit at the hands of France was agonising, with Harry Kane missing a penalty having already scored one in the 2-1 defeat to the World Cup holders.
A trip to a third consecutive tournament semi-final under Gareth Southgate was denied.
Now the manager is deliberating whether to stay to try to qualify for Euro 2024 after six years in charge.
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“I want to make the right decision,” Southgate said after the match but was silent as he boarded the coach at the hotel.
Mark Bullingham, chief executive of the FA, also did not say anything before boarding a coach and a written statement did not touch on Southgate’s future.
“This is a very exciting young English squad and, despite the intense disappointment of last night, they should be very proud of their performances in Qatar,” he said.
“We are incredibly proud of Gareth, the players, the coaches and the support team and appreciate all the hard work they put in.”
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Kane ‘absolutely gutted’
But it was Kane who said he would take responsibility for the team crashing out of World Cup 2022.
In a tweet this morning, the England captain said he was “absolutely gutted”.
“We’ve given it everything and it’s come down to a small detail which I take responsibility for.
“There’s no hiding from it, it hurts and it’ll take some time to get over it but that’s part of sport.
“Now it’s about using the experience to be mentally and physically stronger for the next challenge.”
He thanks fans for their support during the tournament, saying “it means a lot”.
