Oliver Giroud scored both goals as France defeated England 2-1 to advance to the World Cup semifinals. The defense attempted to give the game away. In a match that was unquestionably worthy of it, two of the front-runners for the World Cup championship faced off. In the 17th minute, Aurelien Tchouameni scored a goal from outside the area to give England the lead despite France pushing to start the game.
Tchouaméni with a STRIKE
FRANCE TAKES THE LEAD 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/mXfgPWifES
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 10, 2022
In the first half, England was unable to recover, but Bukayo Saka took control of the match after the break and earned a penalty in the 54th minute. With his 53rd goal for the national team, Harry Kane would score to tie Wayne Rooney for most male goal scorers in England’s history.
However, France didn’t stop there as Oliver Giroud gave Jordan Pickford a superb save before having a second chance with a header. Giving Giroud two chances was a big error because he would score the game-winning goal for France in the 78th minute.
Theo Hernandez’s foul on Mason Mount in the area gave England another opportunity, but Harry Kane missed the opportunity after playing mind games, and that 84th-minute penalty was the closest England would get to tie the game. The defending World Cup champions will play Morocco next as they continue their quest for back-to-back championships.
Dayot Upemecano should offer thanks to his teammates because he made two reckless challenges that would have resulted in penalties on another day. Due to England’s offensive driving them into undesirable circumstances, the defense was their worst adversary. However, France hasn’t had any trouble winning despite the fact that it hasn’t played well. Normally, Kylian Mbappe would have done it, but with England containing him, Lloris, their captain, shone the brightest.
Prior to winning the game with six saves, Lloris made an incredible stop on Kane in the first half. Although France’s defense has been an issue throughout this World Cup, having Lloris as a backup will give Les Blues comfort when they face Morocco. It’s a shame that England lost because when the going gets tough, few players are more important than Kane, but sometimes it’s just not your night, and that was the case for England on Saturday.
Having only conceded one goal so far at the World Cup, and even that was an own goal by Nayef Aguerd, Morocco’s defense will be ready. Didier Deschamps has game plans for every scenario, but if France isn’t firing on all cylinders for the match, Africa will progress from having the first African nation in the World Cup semifinals to having a berth in the World Cup final.
IN THE 𝙎𝙀𝙈𝙄-𝙁𝙄𝙉𝘼𝙇 OF THE WORLD CUP! 🔥
WHAT A MATCH, WHAT A TEAM 😍😍😍#ENGFRA #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/9S9OM4c5PQ— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) December 10, 2022
