The Press Stories
France qualified in a crazy match against England. Olivier Giroud (78th) qualified for Habs despite Harry Kane (54th) equalizing. The Blues will face Morocco in the semi-finals.
Rashford’s free kick was missed at the end and the Blues were sweating it out against the English in a very good position! Finally, Didier Deschamps’ men logically qualified for the next round. France suffered but beat England to book their ticket to the semi-finals of the World Cup. Started by Aurélien Tchouaméni, the Blues leveled the Three Lions with Harry Kane equalizing.
Olivier Giroud provided his partners with furious will before Kane missed his second penalty late on. Led by a determined Hugo Lloris, the reigning world champions cruise into the last four, where they face Morocco on Wednesday.
After a fairly even start to the match that saw the Blues try to find flaws with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, midfielder Aurelien Dichoumeni came to reward this intense start to the match. In a long shot, the Madrid player cheated Jordan Pickford (1-0, 17′). Antoine Griezmann, named the opener, seized the opportunity to become the greatest passer in Blues history by linking up with Thierry Henry (27). Following that, the Three Lions tried to react, but Luke Shaw’s free kick was saved by Hugo Lloris (19′).
Seconds later, French goalkeeper Harry Kane (22′) won a head-to-head against his teammate at Tottenham. True venom, the England captain once again played a poor trick on Tayot Upamecano and came close to getting a penalty (24′). In the 29th, Harry Kane tried his luck from distance, but Hugo Lloris made a good save. After a good combination between Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembélé and Adrien Rabiot, Kylian Mbappé is served at the entrance of the area, but his shot flies over Jordan Pickford’s goal (39′). Despite the lack of precision in the last gesture, the French team was not really bothered by the English until half-time (45′). Marked by several players, the PSG striker failed to stand out in this first 45 minutes.
As soon as they returned from the locker room, England pressed on. After a bad return, Jude Bellingham tries a long shot, but Hugo Lloris deflects skillfully (47′). On the ensuing corner, the French goalkeeper fears a missed exit, but without consequence. Logically, by pushing, the Three Lions were able to get a penalty for Bugayo Saga, following a foul by Aurelian Dichoumeni (52′). England captain, Harry Kane, turns the sentence (1-1, 53′) and sends his London teammate the wrong way. The Blues’ response was immediate. Former Parisian, Adrien Rabiot, tries an uncontrolled half-volley, but Jordan Pickford deflects with both hands (55′). A surprised Ousmane Dembélé had a great chance to restore the advantage for his selection (56′) after Kylian Mbappe’s incredible acceleration against Kyle Walker. With Bukayo Saga in the role of real venom, England are gradually getting the better of the Blues. On a free kick, Harry Maguire is close to finding the frame (70′). Pressing further and further, the three lions easily approach the surface of the Hubs, but at the last gesture they are missing. Gradually, the French were able to get back into the game. In a great joint move, Olivier Giroud had a great chance to score against the goal, but Jordan Pickford deflected (77′). It was just a reprieve for the AC Milan striker. On Antoine Griezmann’s fresh pass, Olivier Giroud headed the English goalkeeper into the net (2-1, 78′).
But in the process, Theo Hernandez commits a huge useless foul on newcomer Mason Mount (81′) for a new penalty for England. But Harry Kane misses completely (84′) and shoots over the top. In extra time, England get a free kick just before the penalty area (90’+8). Marcus Rashford gets his chance but it goes over Hugo Lloris’ skylight. A final scare for France as they qualify for the semi-finals of the World Cup. The Blues face Morocco next Wednesday (8pm).
Competition Paper
Saturday December 10, 2022 – 7 p.m. Al Bait Stadium (Qatar)
England – France 1-2
Referee : Wilton Sampaio
Objectives: Tchouaméni 17th and Giroud 58th for France / Harry Kane (SP) 54th for England.
Warnings –
Ousmane Dembélé 46th, Antoine Griezmann 43rd, Theo Hernandez 82nd France / Harry Maguire 90th England
Discharge : 0
Official lineups:
England: Pickford – Walker, Stone(90+8′ J. Grealish), Maguire, Shaw – Henderson (M. Mount 80th), Rice, Bellingham – Saga (R. Sterling 80th), Kane, Foden (M. Rossford 85th)
Coach : Gareth Southgate
France: Lloris – Counte, Varane, Upamecano, D. Hernandez – Griezmann, Tchoumeni, Rabiot – Dembele (K. Koeman 79th), Giroud, Mbappe
Trainer: Didier Deschamps
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