FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals : England vs France

 In an absolute cracker of a game, France finally prevailed over a much better organised England to win the last of the quarterfinals 2-1 & proceed to the last four of this World Cup. On paper & on field, England were arguably a better side & were more threatening in exchanges for the better part of the game, but they failed to cash on key moments, allowing France to nose ahead & finally win the tie. The reigning Champions reached the semis back to back now, looking good & growing in stature for the business end of the tournament. 

Aurelien Tchouameni's first half strike in the 17th minute saw the Les Blues take the lead over the Three Lions. From a well organised move in the English half, Mbappe carried the ball to Dembele, who in turn passed to Greizmann who deftly squared it for Tchouamenito receive & blast a 25 yarder into the right corner of the English net, past a stunned pack of defenders & a flailing Pickford under the bar. France were on top 1-0. However, England were unfazed & came roaring back, & the reigning champions were certainly the second best for the middle part of the game. HarryKane tested Lloris under the bar with a stinging shot, but the French keeper managed to fist it out.  Mbappe, Greizmann, Dembele, Giroud, none got a chance to control, as English duo Bellingham & Declan Rice bossed the midfield with Henderson, Saka, Kane & Foden looking to breach the French defense, as the referee blew the half time whistle. 

In the 2nd half, the Three Lions roared back into the game, having France on the ropes, as Foden & Bellingham caused havoc across the flanks & Harry Kane went deep to initiate attacks. A Bellingham pile driver from a Foden corner was again tipped over the bar by Lloris, as the French camp heaved a sigh of relief. The break came around the 54th minute, when Saka played one to one with Bellingham down the right & cut into the French box, where Tchouameni clipped him & the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Stepping up Kane, wrong footed his Tottenham colleague keeper to hammer the ball into the right corner, to level the score at 1-1, as English supporters came roaring back. It was Kane's 53rd goal for England making him the joint top scorer with Wayne Rooney. This was also his fourth World Cup goal from penalty kicks in regulation time, a record of sorts, as Southgate's fisted cry of relief  from the line aptly described the English sentiments. With game now a see saw battle of wits, skills & nerves, both teams pressed for a lead. Rabiot had a sniff with a rousing drive, but Pickford was alert enough to thwart any danger. Another great run by Mbappe down the flank & a sweet cross saw Dembele head into the box & Giroud volleyed hard from the middle, but Pickford made a brilliant save stretching full & fisting the ball out for a corner. However, this ensured Greizmann's corner pushed back & Kounde smartly passed the ball to Herenandez who rolled it to Greizmann again & his cross into the box is met by Giroud who outreached Mcguire to head into the left corner of the net, as the English defense & Pickford clutched in thin air. France had restored their lead back to 2-1. This was Giroud's fourth goal of the tournament, the man of the moment for France, with a brilliant finish. Southgate, in an attempt to increase his attacking options, brought in Sterling & Mason Mount to replace a tiring Hendersen & Bukayo Saka, while France brought in Koman to replace Dembele. Mount had an immediate impact running into the French box with less than 10 minutes to go, & had Hernandez shoulder him hard to the ground - a clear penalty denied by the referee initially, but VAR intervention made him look again & he pointed to the dreaded spot one more time - the whole English camp & supporters were looking at redemption time, as Harry Kane once gain stepped into to take the kick. However, probably the pressure of the situation, or a moment's indecision, or both, Kane blew the ball over the bar, & with that the English hopes of coming back vanished. 8 minutes of added injury time saw a desperate England looking for inroads & a frantic French looking at defending the slender lead. Maguire got the first yellow card for England in this tournament (a reflection of their stern discipline through the tournament), but he made amends by earning a freekick just outside the French box. Substitute Rashford stepped in & whipped over the French wall, but the ball did not dip enough as a relieved Lloris saw land on the roof of the net, as the full time whistle blew the game to an end. 

It was a fabulous match, & perhaps England were the better side on the day, unfortunately ending up losing. This certainly was not a typical England exit, where as earlier time, they would win emphatically against lower class of international side only to struggle & pale out against the first good team they faced. This team was rich in class, very strong on mentality & intent, scoring heavily & not reliant on Kane alone, awesome bench strength to back & astute leadership from Southgate. The Three Lions had done their supporters proud with their performance, & its a shame, they did not go further up in the tournament. With this, in a tournament of upsets, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Portugal & now England, all pre tournament favourites have been packed home. 

France, have now reached the semi finals for the seventh time, while the first time since 1982/1986 to do so consecutively. They will take on a rather tricky encounter with emerging Africans, Morocco, who have quietly surprised football fans & critics world over.