England were the 'best team' at the World Cup and should have gone all the way at Qatar 2022, says Jamie Carragher.
Gareth Southgate's side came up short against France in an entertaining encounter on Saturday night, losing the quarter-final match 2-1 despite dominating for long periods of the game.
Captain Harry Kane scored England's goal from the penalty spot, but missed another spot-kick later on which would have levelled the scores at 2-2.
There was no way back for the Three Lions after that, but the team has earned praise for their performance.
"There will be a natural temptation... to place Gareth Southgate’s side alongside those of Bobby Robson’s in Italia ’90 and Terry Venables in Euro ‘96 as gallant losers," Carragher wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
"Let’s have none of that. The biggest compliment I can pay Southgate’s side is that they do not belong with such company. This England team was no underdog going toe-to-toe with the world champions."
And he added: "This England team leaves the tournament having played better than any side in Qatar over their five games, a genuine contender that could and arguably should have gone all the way."
The former Liverpool defender put France's win down to taking advantage of their moments, while England ultimately did not.
"France won on the night because of moments - a stunning goal from distance and a cross from Antoine Griezmann that would have troubled any defence in the world," he wrote.
"Then England missed a penalty, knowing that had Harry Kane equalised for a second time it would have carried positive momentum into extra-time."
Carragher was critical of Southgate's late changes against France. "It is difficult to shrug off the feeling that the power England possessed in the squad was not fully utilised when the moment of truth arrived," he wrote.
England will now look ahead to the Euros in Germany in two years' time, with most of their squad still young, although Southgate's future remains uncertain at this point.
"Roll on Germany in 2024," Carragher added.
