Jamie Redknapp has said he ‘couldn’t believe’ the decision to withdraw Bukayo Saka a minute after France re-took the lead in Saturday’s quarter-final clash.
Aurelien Tchouameni‘s goal was cancelled out by Harry Kane‘s effort from the spot after Saka was brought down by France’s goalscorer.
With England pressing for a second, the world champions struck through Olivier Giroud.
England had appeared to have the beating of France prior to their second, with Saka, in particular, finding particular joy down the left-hand side against Theo Hernandez.
Bukayo Saka appeared to have Theo Hernandez pinned back for much of the game before his substitution
Gareth Southgate was questioned, tipobet365 then, when he decided to withdraw the Arsenal forward immediately after France scored – not least by Redknapp himself.
‘He couldn’t handle Saka.
Just couldn’t handle him. He was too much for Hernandez all game. And I must admit, looking at it now, I couldn’t believe Gareth took him off.
‘Because even if we’d have got a goal and we’d gone to extra time, he was the player that every time – he was the player that when we got the ball to him, he got me on the edge of my seat.
‘I found that a really strange decision. Obviously you have to make substitutions to try and tipobet365 effect the game, but he was certainly one I would have kept on.
The England wide-forward won a number of fouls and got behind Hernandez on numerous occasions
‘And I bet when Hernandez saw him go off, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Because we sort of lost our way a little bit after that – yes, we had the (Marcus) Rashford free-kick which sailed over the bar, but that was a really strange substitution.’
Saka’s went off in the same band of substitutions which Mason Mount came on for.
The Chelsea playmaker, attempting to latch onto a long-ball from Jude Bellingham, was shoved over by Hernandez just minutes after being introduced.
After his protests were initially waved away, play was halted as the Brazilian referee, Wilton Sampaio, was offered advice by VAR to go and look at his monitor.
However, he began to grow frustrated when the controversial Brazilian referee appeared to fail to give him a number of fouls
Once he did so, he soon realised that he had made a mistake and rectified it.
Unfortunately for England, Kane couldn’t match his penalty earlier in the half as he blazed over.
Speaking to The Athletic after the fact, former England striker and captain Alan Shearer said that Kane will never forget the moment he missed against France.
‘Sometimes s*** happens and then sleep deserts you.
Harry is an exceptional centre-forward, an exceptional player full stop.
The Three Lions captain stepped up and blazed his second spot-kick of Hugo Lloris’ crossbar
‘I know his position and I know his mindset and I know he will put his head on the pillow on this night and the next and a few more besides and he will blink and stare at the ceiling.
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‘He will re-live his penalty over and over. He will revisit it, he will re-take it and in his mind’s eye he will convince himself that this time, he’s scoring.
And tipobet365 I promise you, it will stay with him forever.’
