France eked out a dramatic 2-1 victory over England in a mouth-watering 2022 World Cup quarter-final contest at Al Bayt Stadium to set up a semi-final tie against Morocco. Goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud rendered Harry Kane’s penalty meaningless.
As Group D winners, France had a favorable round-of-16 draw as they eased past a lowly Poland. Inspired by Olivier Giroud’s landmark goal and Kylian Mbappe’s sublime second-half double, Les Bleus picked Robert Lewandowski’s team apart 3-1 to set up this mammoth quarter-final tie.
With no nation since Brazil over half a century ago defending the World Cup crown, France headed into proceedings as potential history-makers. Only three wins away from making history, Didier Deschamps’ men were out to overcome the first hurdle, England.
They came out aggressively from the get-go and were rewarded for an early effort when Tchouameni hammered home a long-range stunner. Despite securing a 1-0 halftime lead, Les Bleus surrendered possession to England and were made to pay for Deschamps’ cowardice at the start of the second half.
Tchouameni tackled Bukayo Saka down in France’s box, sending Kane to the spot. Despite being denied by his Tottenham Hotspur teammate Hugo Lloris several times in the first half, the marquee forward slotted home the spot-kick to restore parity in the 54th minute.
France bounced back and reclaimed the lead through Milan star Olivier Giroud, who headed home an inch-perfect cross from Antoine Griezmann. England had a glorious opportunity to send the tie to extra time, yet Kane skied the ball from the spot, sending the Three Lions home.
France (4-2-3-1)
Hugo Lloris – 7.5
Came up huge on multiple occasions in the first half to preserve his team’s narrow lead against his club teammate Harry Kane. He couldn’t do anything to stop the first penalty but pulled off numerous vital saves in the second half.
Jules Kounde – 6.5
While his defensive display didn’t disappoint, his well-documented propensity to attack the spaces in the front third was nowhere to be seen.
Raphael Varane – 7
Not even a long-term injury knocked the Manchester United defender off his perch as he barely put his foot wrong throughout the game.
Dayot Upamecano – 6
Unlike his fellow center-back colleague, the Bayern Munich star experienced all sorts of troubles against Kane and even came close to committing a silly penalty in the first half.
Theo Hernandez – 6
His on-field understanding with Kylian Mbappe bears much resemblance to his prolific partnership with Rafael Leao, as witnessed by his repeated ventures forward. Theo was equally impressive in his defensive duties before giving away a wayward free-kick. Luckily for him, Kane failed to punish his blunder.
Aurelien Tchouameni – 6.5
Apart from scoring an absolute screamer, the marquee Real Madrid signing last summer produced another phenomenal performance in the middle of the park. However, he came from hero to zero in the second half, committing a silly penalty.
Adrien Rabiot – 7
Despite blowing hot and cold throughout the match, the improving Juventus midfielder enjoyed a decent game overall. Made a few crucial interceptions but lacked enthusiasm and clear ideas when called to inspire something creative up top.
Antoine Griezmann – 7
As has been the case through this entire tournament, the Barcelona loanee put his illustrious playmaking skills on display to distribute the ball with quality and purpose while also helping his team defend.
Ousmane Dembele – 5
Deschamps may want to consider starting Kingsley Coman against Morocco, considering the Barcelona winger was nowhere near the standards required by this stage of the World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe – 6
Not as deceive as he was against Poland but still came up with several breathtaking dribblings in tight spaces and was continually on his toes.
Olivier Giroud – 7
Practically invisible for most of the night, the Milan frontman often struggled to make his attacking presence felt. However, he made one of the two glaring chances count to fire France into the semi-finals.
Read Our Player Ratings for England
Substitutes
Kingsley Coman – N/A