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France narrowly edged out England 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They will now face dark horse Morocco in the semi-finals.
The Three Lions defeated Senegal comfortably with a 3-0 scoreline in the round of 16. Harry Kane scored his first goal at this World Cup, while Bukayo Saka added his third of the tournament as they won with ease. Gareth Southgate stuck with the same lineup as they looked to defeat the defending champions.
Les Bleus, on the other hand, dug deep to secure a 3-1 win over Poland in the round of 16. They led comfortably for most of the game and only conceded via a late penalty scored by Robert Lewandowski. Didier Deschamps and his men were looking to repeat the magic they created in Russia four years ago.
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France made a good start to the game but attacked in bursts as they allowed England to have more of the ball. They had just 42% of the ball and attempted three shots, hitting the target twice. The Three Lions, on the other hand, attempted five shots and hit the target thrice.
Le Bleus grabbed the lead after a bit of tricky work by Antoine Griezmann, who used his agility to make space before passing the ball. Aurelien Tchouameni took one touch before unleashing a shot that beat Jordan Pickford with the pace on it as France led 1-0 after 17 minutes. England had it all to do as they trailed at the break.
England looked positive as they came out for the second half and showed attacking intent from the get-go. They were awarded a penalty just nine minutes after the restart as Tchouameni tripped Bukayo Saka in the box. Harry Kane stepped up and scored as Hugo Lloris dived the wrong way. The scores were level after 54 minutes.
The teams had identical possession stats to those of their first-half performances but France were more clinical in the second period. They maintained pressure in wide areas and crossed the ball into the box towards target man Olivier Giroud. England defended in numbers and pressed as a team.
Griezmann provided his second assist of the game, picking out France's all-time top scorer, who headed in from close-range to make it 2-1 after 78 minutes.
Theo Hernandez then handed England a lifeline as he conceded a penalty after a needless barge into Mason Mount. The referee did not see it initially but awarded a penalty following a VAR review. Kane stepped up but smashed his effort over the crossbar as the defending champions held on to secure a 2-1 win.
On that note, let's take a look at the five hits and flops from the game.
#5. Hit - Aurelien Tchouameni
Tchouameni had a good game and dominated in midfield with his passing and movement. His intelligent positioning allowed France to progress the ball well as he used the entire width of the pitch. He gave Les Bleus the lead with a sharp finish from the edge of the box after just 17 minutes. He was unlucky to concede a penalty but was fortunate to end up on the winning side anyway.
Tchouameni won five of his eight duels and passed the ball with 90% accuracy. He attempted just one shot and scored from it.
#4. Flop - Theo Hernandez
Theo Hernandez had a tough game on the left flank and struggled to win his duels. He won just seven of his 13 duels and was dispossessed 11 times. He put his team in a very tough spot, conceding a penalty in the 81st minute after barging into Mason Mount from behind while Lloris collected the ball.
There were frantic appeals from England players on the field as well as on the bench as a penalty was awarded following a VAR review.
#3. Hit - Hugo Lloris
Lloris starred for France and put in a captain's performance between the sticks. He made three sharp saves in the first half, allowing his side to preserve their lead going into the break. He made three saves in the second half as well, ending the night with six total stops. He conceded one penalty but saw the other one fly over his crossbar.
#2. Flop - Harry Kane
Harry Kane had one of the best opportunities to alter the course of the game but missed the opportunity from 12 yards. Hernandez conceded a penalty after a foul on Mount and Kane stepped up to take his second penalty of the game. However, he picked power instead of placement and fired his shot off-target as France kept their one-goal cushion.
#1. Hit - Olivier Giroud
Much unlike his counterpart, Giroud was on-song as he kept England's defense occupied with his physicality and movement. He won four aerial duels and also made two vital clearances during corners. Giroud attempted four shots and hit the target thrice. One of those was the goal that restored France's lead after 78 minutes.
He lingered around the six-yard box and found space between England's defensive unit. Giroud then attacked Griezmann's cross at the near post and headed the ball goalwards as it took a deflection off Harry Maguire before hitting the back of the net.
