France Defeats England, Advancing To World Cup Semifinals

Topline

France defeated England 2-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday, after a 78th-minute French goal just minutes after England tied the game on a penalty kick—sending France to the semifinals where it will play Morocco.

Key Facts

French midfielder and Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni scored in the 17th minute from deep off a pass from Antoine Griezmann, giving France an early lead.

Facing an English attack, French goalie Hugo Lloris then made two key saves within minutes of each other, saving a free kick from England’s Luke Shaw, followed shortly by a quick shot from England striker Harry Kane.

Kane capitalized on a penalty kick against Lloris—a longtime teammate with the Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur—tying the game eight minutes into the second half.

Kane’s goal was his 53rd for the English National Team in international play—including World Cup, EURO Cup and Nations League tournaments—tying Wayne Rooney as England’s all-time leading scorer.

England maintained the edge throughout the majority of the second half, with France relying heavily on Lloris to fend off a strong English offensive front—England has taken 16 shots on net, well above France’s eight.

In the 78th minute, however, veteran French striker Oliver Giroud—who made history in their win over Poland in the round of 16 becoming the national team’s all-time leading scorer—added another goal, as France retook the lead.

With two scoring chances for England late into the match, Kane missed on a penalty kick high over the bar, while Marcus Rashford, in a 100th minute penalty kick, missed high.

Tangent

In a thrilling match earlier on Saturday, Morocco upset Portugal 1-0, becoming the first team representing an Arab nation or an African country to advance to the semifinals of the tournament. Earlier this week, Morocco stunned Spain in a shootout in their quarterfinals match. The only African teams that had ever advanced to the quarterfinals were Ghana in 2010, Senegal in 2002 and Cameroon in 1990. Host country Qatar made history earlier in the tournament as the first host country to ever be eliminated first from the World Cup.

Key Background

France won its second World Cup title in the last iteration of the tournament in 2018, defeating Croatia 4-2 behind rising phenom Kylian Mbappe—the leading goal scorer in the tournament and the 35th highest paid athlete in the world, according to Forbes. England, which plays separately from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, has won just once, in 1966. France and England had previously met twice before in the World Cup in 1966 and 1982, with England winning both matches.

What To Watch For

France plays Morocco at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the semifinals. Argentina and Croatia—which won its quarterfinal match in a shootout over Brazil, a favorite to win the tournament—are slated to face off at 2 p.m. on Tuesday. That match could be the last World Cup appearance for two soccer legends: Croatia’s captain Luka Modric, who plays as a midfielder for Real Madrid, and Argentina’s Lionel Messi, the superstar striker (and world’s highest paid athlete) for Paris Saint-Germain. Although both have previously played in a World Cup Final match (Messi in 2014 and Modric in 2018), neither have won the world’s biggest sporting event.

Surprising Fact

In a tweet before the game, French President Emmanuel Macron asked British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak whether he would support Les Blues (the nickname for the French National Team) if they win, with Sunak replying: “Hopefully I won’t have to but you’ve got a deal. Look forward to you getting behind the Three Lions in the next round.” After a series of apparent missed calls against the English team in the first half, British comedian Ricky Gervais tweeted, “Are all the officials French?”

Further Reading

World Cup Underdogs: Morocco Defeats Portugal, Becomes First African Or Arab Country To Advance To Semifinals (Forbes)

Sigh Of Relief: Argentina Survives Staggering Netherlands Comeback To Reach World Cup Semifinals (Forbes)

What To Watch In Final World Cup Stretch: Messi’s Last Stand, Neymar Vs. Pelé, Morocco’s Run For The Ages And More (Forbes)

World Cup Shocker: Croatia Knocks Out Favorite Brazil Even As Neymar Ties Pelé’s Goal Record (Forbes)

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/12/10/france-defeats-england-advancing-to-world-cup-semifinals/