MY ACCOUNT
England’s World Cup hopes ended in disappointment as France won 2-1 at the Al Bayt Stadium to set up a semi-final with Morocco.
In the 17th minute, Aurelien Tchouameni opened the scoring with a thunderous long-range strike past the outstretched arm of Jordan Pickford into 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 Antoine Griezmann’s pin-point cross past Pickford.
At the 83 minute mark, France’s Theo Hernandez went through the back of substitute Mason Mount, which saw England win another penalty, but this time Kane uncharacteristically blazed it over the bar, and the Three Lions were sent home.
We take a look at five talking points from the thrilling contest.
Contentious calls
Brazilian referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio was at the centre of controversy after two contentious calls in the opening half.
The first came when Saka was taken down by Dayot Upamecano to win possession for France, who surged forward and opened the scoring through a stunning Tchouameni strike.
Then 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 decided against intervening.
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 Kyle Walker and Kylian Mbappe — 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 make a stunning header to advance.
Scintillating Saka not enough
England’s right-winger Saka tormented Hernandez all night, as the AC Milan defender could not contend with his sharpness on the ball.
Whenever he received the ball the Arsenal man looked to attack France’s defence, drawing players to fashion opportunities for Kane and Phil Foden.
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.
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 85th minute to draw them level.
Had he been able to score, England might have had the opportunity to take the game into extra time.
It was a strange sight, given his reliable striking from 12 yards for England, especially at a major tournament.
Defending champions difference
The defending champions showed their steel to edge out the victory.
Individual brilliance from Tchouameni for their first and a stunning 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 quarter-final 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 they had opportunities to equalise but were unable to apply the finishing touch.
In the end, it was the decisive finishing from France that sent the Three Lions home, despite a determined display.
