Today at the World Cup: England back home as Cristiano Ronaldo breaks silence

England landed back in Birmingham on Sunday evening after their 2-1 World Cup quarter-final defeat to France.

There is no action until Tuesday but, here, Football Mad looks at how Sunday unfolded at the World Cup.

England arrive home

The England squad flew back to the UK on Sunday afternoon after their World Cup exit and landed at Birmingham Airport in the evening.

Gareth Southgate’s side suffered a cruel 2-1 defeat to France on Saturday night, with captain Harry Kane missing a crucial late penalty.

The early exit means England fell short of repeating their run to the last four in 2018.

Kane’s miss will haunt him forever

Former England captain Alan Shearer expects Harry Kane’s penalty miss to stay with him for the rest of his life.

Kane blazed over from 12 yards late on, having already made it 1-1 from the spot, as England chased a second equaliser.

Shearer wrote in the Athletic: “He will relive his penalty over and over. He will revisit it, he will retake it and in his mind’s eye he will convince himself that this time, he’s scoring. And I promise you, it will stay with him forever.

“Having taken one already, the difference was the difference itself. It becomes a mind game, not only with the goalkeeper but with yourself. It’s human nature. Who blinks first? To me, Harry looked weighed down for his second. Heavier, somehow.”

Dave the cat prepares for his new life

England may not be returning with the World Cup but at least they are not coming back empty-handed.

Dave the cat, a stray befriended by John Stones and Kyle Walker in Qatar, will travel to England for his new life.

Dave was taken to a local vets for tests and vaccinations and will spend four months in quarantine before being reunited with the squad.

“He was just there one day so we’ve just adopted him, me and Stonesy,” Walker told the FA’s official media channel. “Dave is welcome to the table. Some people really don’t like the cat, but I love him.”

Ronaldo breaks his silence

The Portugal star was in tears after their 1-0 defeat to Morocco on Saturday and took to Instagram to reaffirm his commitment to his country.

“Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career,” he wrote.

“Fortunately I won many titles, including for Portugal, but putting our country’s name on the highest foot in the world was my biggest dream.

“I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream. I gave my all. Leave it all out on the field. I never turned my face to the fight and I never gave up on that dream.

“Sadly yesterday the dream ended. It’s not worth reacting to heat. I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal hasn’t changed for a moment.

“I was always one fighting for the objective of all and I would never turn my back on my colleagues and my country.”

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