Football is a funny old thing. Tournament football especially.
One day you are riding the crest of a wave of jubilation, the next dejection overwhelms. And those swings can even happen in a matter of minutes - something England know all too well.
Their Qatar World Cup quarter-final fixture against France rather epitomised the tumult that football can draw up.
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There was an air of optimism almost antonymous with England heading into the affair after a comfortable 3-0 victory over Senegal in the opening knockout round. An early strike from Aurelien Tchouameni for France numbed that feeling, though that made the celebrations all the greater when England were awarded a penalty, which was converted by Harry Kane, early in the second half.
Later, there was almost a repeat. Olivier Giroud's goal to restore France's lead 12 minutes from time sent the whole of England into subdued silence again. But no doubt a collective roar was let out when a penalty was awarded with around five minutes of regulation time still to play. This time that wouldn't be sustained.
Kane's spot kick was blazed over the crossbar. Second penalties are awkward, accentuated in this case by the fact that Kane faced up to his club goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris. Kane lost the mental battle, and it transpired to be more penalty misery for England.
"It's football," Kyle Walker said post-match. Football indeed. But football in its most brutal essence. The highest of highs almost in your grasp before being snatched away, savagely.
There are two sides to every coin in this sport. And, against France, that was a concept that rang very true for England in many regards.
Defeat was sour, but that doesn't necessarily mean England cannot exit in a proud manner. Those involved left absolutely everything out on the pitch, no stone unturned. There is no faulting them for that.
Of course, Kane's missed penalty is regretful. But there can't be any remorse otherwise. It was a performance to be proud of against none other than the reigning world champions.
Ultimately, France defended well and held a structure that limited England, preventing them from managing to score from open play. Similarly, though, England restricted their strong opposition for the most part. Key threats, notably Kylian Mbappe, were contained for the majority of proceedings.
But France were able to display their inherent quality on two particular occasions, and it was to such an extent that it was nigh-on unpreventable. Tchouameni’s long range effort was out of reach for Jordan Pickford, while Antoine Griezmann's cross to Giroud was as pinpoint as they get.
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Still, with all considered and the result aside, it was arguably England's strongest, most valiant display under Southgate's six-year rule. Against a side almost as high echelon as they come, England felt the dominant outfit. And that should be lauded.
One thing is for sure: they don't exit the competition in disgrace as has so often been the case throughout English football history.
You can be forgiven for feeling England were knocked out after deserving to win the match having done their absolute utmost, which draws up conflicting emotions in itself. On one side, it offers some solace and acts as a consolation. However, on the other hand, it makes the outcome even more frustrating; it could easily be rendered a missed opportunity.
Will such a chance to progress to a World Cup final ever emerge in this fashion again?
Questions arise in abundance. Morocco are no pushovers, defensively stern and producing heroic displays for the entire continent of Africa. But you would have fancied England (and likewise will fancy France) to overcome a side of their comparative inexperience and inferior ranking.
There is, however, certainly no shame in exiting to side of France's caliber. And to go toe-to-toe with an outfit of Didier Deschamps' France's caliber is telling of the rather astronomical progress made under Southgate.
Six-and-a-half years ago, Roy Hodgson's England were knocked out of the European Championships in a manner of utter shame against Iceland. Under Southgate, they have reached the final of that same tournament and lost only on penalties, making a World Cup semi-final three years prior.
A quarter-final departure in Qatar isn't the backwards step that some may perceive. It was a quarter-final in which they put on an honourable display against the winners of the 2018 edition of the World Cup in Russia.
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Years of woe have been firmly put on the backburner and new heights have been hit under Southgate. Heights have been reached that no England manager in history has ever reached on such a consistent basis.
Southgate, of course, remains imperfect in some regards. He is by no means the tactical genius of revered club managers such as Pep Guardiola, or even the likes of Hansi Flick still on the international stage. But you have to feel Southgate has also developed in accordance with his side since making the jump from a role among the youth ranks; he has orchestrated progress but has also developed himself in the meantime.
In Qatar, Southgate adopted a more front-footed approach, better utilising the plethora of attacking talent at his disposal. Maybe he could have, for example, better used Marcus Rashford at times. But England have such breadth in terms of high-quality attacking players that not everyone can feature to the extent the public may desire.
That's where man-management prowess comes in - Southgate is about as good as they come in this regard, and it is a necessity for successful tournament managers. The culture off the pitch has improved drastically to the extent that players look as though they are having genuine fun, not eagerly awaiting returning to their respective clubs.
Even those not featuring are kept content, with everyone made to feel important - Conor Coady being a noteworthy example through his leadership at Euro 2020. Such a cohesive group is invaluable, and it leads to more coherent, and consequently better, performances.
Gone are the days of cliques. Long gone. Just look at Luke Shaw and Bukayo Saka. Can you imagine Manchester United and Arsenal players being so close many years ago? The days of such fierce rivalries may have passed in club football, but it is still almost entirely credit to Southgate that bonds within his squads are so strong.
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Sadly, the public perception of Southgate has often not been as positive as it probably should have been. The appreciation he has been shown over the years has hardly been enough.
Public perception is a big contributor to the toughness of the business of football. What should really be thought of as a good World Cup campaign has still been rendered a failure by some. Though maybe this is an indictment of the progress made under Southgate. Standards have risen again.
In any case, you can get knocked out at the quarter-finals and still have had a good tournament, even if not necessarily successful as such. There are many positives to take, especially when you consider England were a missed penalty away from still being firmly in their encounter with France. Getting this deep is also impressive given the awful form heading into the World Cup (albeit the Nations League isn't wholly representative).
Additionally, the fact that matches labelled as being 'easier' were navigated with minimal fuss is credit to England and Southgate. Such can't be said for plenty of teams in Qatar. Often the lack of a huge challenge can be held against England, but it shouldn't be here.
Anyway, in many quarters there has been a much greater showing of solidarity than ever before. It is a sign of development that the public are united by the England national team, coming together to show their support.
While, with emotions running high, some have expressed frustration, many people have acknowledged the side's efforts too. Outrage towards individuals would be unjust, and there has definitely been a reduction in the blame game that has sometimes been apparent. Football is a team game after all - it is about the efforts of the collective.
The outpouring of support for Kane signifies progresses compared to the mass of abhorrent abuse centred at those who missed penalties against Italy last summer. Football can be hugely pressurising, especially in such situations on the world stage. It is by no means as simple as just scoring from the penalty spot.
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Unfortunately, even while publicly more people are maintaining a stance of support, views of this World Cup, which has been astonishingly good on the football side of things, will be tarnished for England given the manner of their exit.
Football is, after all, a results business. But the fact of the matter is that it won't and simply can't always go your way. That's the nature of the beast.
This tournament in Qatar has proven the sheer beauty of international football, with underdog stories taking centre stage, and nations, regions and even continents united by the spectacle.
But international football is as harsh as anything else in the sport - a complete enigma. Routinely, club sides can put things right within a week of any mishaps. However, in terms of major international tournaments, there is no 'on another day'. You have to wait two years to rectify setbacks in a meaningful way, and the next shot at a World Cup is four years away.
With the above considered, costly lapses and the associated pain are amplified. Years and years of preparation and qualification matches come to nothing. And often it is by the finest of margins. If only Tchouameni's shot was an inch to either side, if only Kane kept his shot down. Alas in football there is no point in quantifying these margins.
Nobody ends up remembering positive moments on these fateful days. Kane's penalty goal gets lost in an abyss while everyone's minds fixate on the cruelty of the one that went by. All of this comes with the knowledge that it is a long, long time until there is an opportunity to bounce back. It's brutal.
At the same time, though, hosting World Cups every year would be ruinous to the prestige of the competition. It makes it all the more special that the tournaments are hosted on such an infrequent basis.
When all is said and done, only one nation can actually emerge victorious. Some of the greatest, most renowned World Cup sides never won the tournament - just look at the Netherlands, for instance.
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Football is a cruel game as much as it is beautiful. But the brutality is often what fuels the beauty, and the pain makes success all the sweeter.
The time will come for England. There is promise like never before: a young, exuberant side possessing abundant talent in addition to having incomparable spirit. There will be further evolution with some players, particularly in defence, ageing. But the core of the group is mostly extremely young with even more development to undergo. That's some prospect.
While an exit at the quarter-final stage seems to signal regression, the Qatar World Cup still feels like another step forward in the evolution of this England side under Southgate. The manager is considering his future, but the FA shouldn't be in any hurry to move him on.
A clean slate wouldn't be beneficial at this stage. There is strong connection between fans and the national team again - a sense of pride that long wavered.
Brutality overarched beauty again in Qatar for England. But that long-awaited moment of success feels like it continues to shift just that bit closer.
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