Explained: Why Theo Hernandez avoided red card despite cynical foul on Mason Mount in France's 2-1 England win

Former Premier League referee Peter Walton has explained why France's Theo Hernandez avoided a red card despite his blatant foul on England midfielder Mason Mount inside the penalty area.

Les Bleus were leading the quarter-final game by a scoreline of 2-1 at that point in time. Jude Bellingham played a long ball towards Mount. However, Theo Hernandez brought the Chelsea man down before the attacker even touched the ball.

Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio didn't even award England a foul initially. However, upon VAR check, Sampaio awarded a penalty to the Three Lions. He only showed Hernandez a yellow card, which left Bellingham baffled.

Hernandez was the last man inside the box for France. Hence, one might argue that the AC Milan full-back shouldn't have stayed on the pitch.

Walton explained that Mount didn't touch the ball when he was brought down. Hence, it wasn't counted as a clear opportunity on goal. He spoke on ITV's coverage (via Sport BIBLE):

"It would be a fair question if he denied a goalscoring opportunity, unfortunately for England the player does not have possession of the ball, therefore it wouldn't be the denial of a goalscoring opportunity."

Harry Kane stepped up to take the crucial spot kick. He had already scored past his club teammate Hugo Lloris from the spot earlier in the game. However, Kane blazed his second effort well over the bar.

Sampaio, meanwhile, was criticized by England's Harry Maguire for his refereeing during the clash against France. The Manchester United captain said:

"I think the referee’s decision-making throughout the game was really poor, We always stand here and as players we get criticised – so it would be nice to see if he comes out and says whether he’s had a good game or not. Because there were so many decisions in that first half where they made five, six early fouls.

"I think [Harry Kane] was outside the box but it was a clear foul, he didn’t in the second half, Bukayo’s is a clear foul leading up to their first goal. Big moments, big decisions, you expect to get some right but unfortunately tonight we didn’t get any."

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France will play Morocco after their win against England

Morocco have been the surprise package of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Atlas Lions have reached the semi-finals of the tournament against all odds. They defeated Portugal in the quarter-finals.

They will play France in the last four next. While Didier Deschamps' side are coming off a win against a strong England side, they can't afford to underestimate Walid Regragui's side.

The semi-final clash will be played on December 14. The winner will play either Argentina or Croatia in the final on December 18