In Focus: Five talking points from England 1-2 France

England's World Cup hopes ended in disappointment as France won 2-1 at the Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday.

Aurelien Tchouameni opened the scoring for France with a thunderous long-range strike that beat the outstretched arm of Jordan Pickford to find the bottom corner.

After the break, Bukayo Saka drew a challenge from the France goal scorer to win a penalty, which Harry Kane powered past Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris to bring England level.

France re-took the lead in the 78th minute when Olivier Giroud headed in Antoine Griezmann's pin-point cross.

Then in the 84th minute, England had an opportunity to equalise after Theo Hernandez fouled substitute Mason Mount for another penalty. 

However, this time, Kane uncharacteristically blazed it over the bar, and the Three Lions were eliminated.

We take a look at five talking points from the thrilling contest.

Contentious calls

Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio was at the centre of controversy after two contentious calls in the opening half. 

The first came with Dayot Upamecano's challenge on Saka — which England insisted was a foul — that saw France surge forward and open the scoring through a stunning Tchouameni strike.

Then in the 25th minute, Kane was brought down by Upamecano on the edge of the box for a potential penalty, but Sampaio again waved away the challenge, and VAR deemed it to have taken place just outside the box.

The two pivotal moments saw the Three Lions enter the break a goal down and eventually would prove to be the difference.

Kylian kept quiet

All the talk prior to the match surrounded the battle between Kylian Mbappe and Kyle Walker — and it was a closely contested affair.

The World Cup's leading goal scorer threatened the Three Lions on the break with his electric pace and quick feet, but was unable to make his mark on the match.

It took a defensive unit of Walker, Jordan Henderson and John Stones to ensure that the Paris Saint-Germain superstar was kept quiet.

However, in his absence, France's other stars, Griezmann and Giroud, stole the show when they combined for the latter to score the eventual winner.

Read more: France through to the semi-finals after Giroud winner 

Scintillating Saka not enough

England right-winger Saka tormented Hernandez all night, as the defender could not contend with the Arsenal man's sharpness on the ball. 

Whenever he received a pass, he looked to attack France's defence, attracting players to create opportunities for Kane and Phil Foden or take a shot on himself.

It was his close control that drew the foot of Tchouameni for England's penalty in the second half that proved vital to keeping them in the contest.

However, his contributions could not help England enough in the end, as he was substituted in the 79th minute.

Heartbreak for Harry Kane

England have so often been able to rely on their captain Kane, but the Tottenham forward was unable to convert a crucial penalty in the 84th minute to equalise.

His first penalty saw him draw level with Wayne Rooney's England record of 53 goals.

Had he scored the second, the Three Lions might have had the opportunity to take the game into extra time.

It was a rare sight given his reliability from 12 yards for England, especially at a major tournament, but it was not to be for the talisman.

Defending champions difference

The defending champions showed their steel to edge out the victory.

Individual brilliance from Tchouameni for their first and a perfect delivery from Griezmann to Giroud for their second took them to the semi-finals.

England boss Gareth Southgate made the brave decision to keep the same starting XI after their win against Senegal rather than opting for a more defensive set up.

It was a move that largely paid off for the Three Lions, who kept within touching distance of the current champions and had opportunities to equalise but just could not apply the finishing touch.

In the end, it was the decisive finishing from France that sent England home, despite a determined display.