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France star Kylian Mbappe left a message of support for England star Marcus Rashford who made an emotional post on social media following his nation's exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Saturday (December 10).
The Three Lions were beaten 2-1 by Les Bleus, with Harry Kane missing a late penalty as Gareth Southgate's team crashed out in the quarterfinals. Aurelien Tchouameni had given France the lead with a superb strike from distance in the first half before Kane equalised for England from the spot in the 54th minute.
Olivier Giroud restored the reigning champions' lead 24 minutes later with a close-range header. Kane had the opportunity to restore parity for England once again from 12 yards with only six minutes of normal time remaining but fired wastefully over.
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England threw the kitchen sink at Les Blues but couldn't find the equaliser as their Qatar sojoun ended in heartbreak.
Rashford, one of their best performers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with three goals in five games, posted an emotional message on Instagram where he thanked fans for their backing. He wrote:
"The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions, each and every one of our team gave everything we had to be ready for what was thrown at us, we got close, but not close enough. I’ll make a promise that we will come again. Thank you for the unconditional support we have received throughout the tournament, it hasn't gone unnoticed."
The message garnered numerous comments, including from some of his Manchester United teammates, but most surprisingly from Mbappe, who played the entirety of France's win over England.
The 23-year-old just left a heart emoji, a sign of respect for his peers, and his comment has been liked almost 6,000 times.
France take on Morocco in 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinals
France's quest for back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles continues with a semifinal clash to Morocco, whose fairy-tale run is still on. Having knocked Spain out in the Round of 16 on penalties, the Atlas Lions beat Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal 1-0 in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
They're the first African and Arab team to reach the last-four of the competition as Walid Regragui's side continue to script history.
Can they now stop the defending champions and reach the final, or will France put an end to their historic run? We will find out on Wednesday (December 14) at the Al Bayt Stadium.
