The Archbishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in London has commended Gareth Southgate for his leadership, despite England’s elimination from the World Cup.
England lost 2-1 to France in the quarter-final on Saturday, with team captain Harry Kane saying he bears responsibility for the defeat after missing a late penalty which would have brought the match to a draw and led into extra time.
In a post-match interview, England coach Gareth Southgate congratulated France on their win.
He also said he doesn’t think his team could have done anymore and insisted that Kane isn’t responsible for the loss.
“They’ve played really well against their top team… I think the way they’ve progressed as a group in this tournament has been fantastic”.
“We win and lose as a team, and we’ve let a couple of goals in and we’ve missed a few chances… he [Harry Kane] has been incredible for us and so reliable in those sorts of situations, we won’t be here but for the number of goals he’s scored for us.”
His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos of London applauded Southgate’s “true leadership” following the loss.
In a tweet on Sunday, he praised the manager for being gracious, holding the team together, giving credit where it’s due and being reflective.
France will play Morocco, next, which is the first African team to make it to the semi-final of the World Cup.
