The last quarter-final match of the World Cup was especially eagerly anticipated because it was here that the giants of European football gathered. And after hearings from Croatia and Morocco, the Dutch and Argentina thriller, I wanted to see an equally exciting show.

The French national team retains the championship title and has the status of one of the main favorites of the current World Cup. But the favorites in Qatar are mercilessly beaten, and the British clearly intend not to stop at the 1/4 final stage. Moreover, Gareth Southgate’s team has yet to lose in the 2022 World Cup. Unlike the “tricolors”, who lost to Tunisia in the final round of the group tour. The “Three Lions” defense also turned out to be more qualitative. Representatives of Foggy Albion, who conceded two goals in the opening match against Iran, which resulted in a landslide victory for the British, closed their doors. The fans of the England team were also pleased with the team’s performance: 12 goals scored – this is a repeat of the best result of the Three Lions in terms of the number of goals in major tournaments.

The teams started the game cautiously and trying to hold the ball. But gradually the French took the advantage and increased their speed, trying to enter the free zones near the opponent’s penalty area. The first bell for the British came as the defenders took a shot at Giroud from the middle of the penalty area: Pickford played carefully in this section. And soon the England national team’s goalkeeper could do nothing with Tchuameni’s billiard kick, which took the ball into the corner from outside the penalty area.

The reaction of the nominal guests was instant. They immediately started playing active offensively and already Lloris had to enter the game after Kane dived into the corner of the penalty area. Kane then shot into the close top corner and created another chance, and the French goalkeeper played flawlessly once again. In another episode attended by the same Kane, the British demanded a penalty, but after VAR’s work, the referee continued the game.

The French managed to get the game away from the penalty area, but the second half of the match started with the aggressive attacks of the England team. Just a minute after the match restarted, Lloris reacted to Bellingham’s shot from outside the penalty area. And the edition of “Three Lions” brought them results. Tchuameni was rude to Sak inside his own penalty area and the referee pointed to the 11 meter line. The penalty was turned with confidence by Kane and he took another step towards the title of top scorer in the history of the national team. Striker “Tottenham” scored the 53rd goal for the England national team, catching Wayne Rooney, who holds the record in this indicator.

For a while the game went on a collision course and goalkeepers had to re-enter the game. Pickford responds to Rabiot’s punch and in response, Lloris escapes after being shot by Sack and Kane. However, the teams took a breath and started to prepare their attacks more carefully. At the same time, the British created another opportunity to score: Maguire closed the canopy from a free kick and took a shot close to the post.

In addition, Olivier Giroud, the top scorer of the French national team, reminded him of himself. First, Pickford made a save after his shot, and a few minutes later the striker closed Griezmann’s shadow and put his team ahead on the account. The British could equalize the result immediately. Hernandez pushed Mount behind him, and after watching the replay of the video, the referee gave the “tricolors” a second penalty. Kane again approached the 11-metre line, but this time the striker hit above the target.

The missed penalty significantly broke the Southgate team. The British attacked, but their actions seemed doomed. Rashford missed the last chance to turn the game into overtime, taking a free kick just above the crossbar 10 minutes into the stoppage. Then the final whistle blew. The French team advanced to the semi-finals where they will face the sensational team of Morocco.

2022 World Cup football. 1/4 final

England – France – 1:2

Kane, 54 (pen) – Tchuameni, 17, Giroud, 78

Maguire 89 – Griezmann 43, Dembele 47, Hernandez 82

Kane missed a penalty in the 84th minute.

England: Pickford, Walker, Maguire, Stones (Grealish 90+8), Shaw, Rice, Bellingham, Henderson (Mount 79), Saka, Foden (Rashford 85), Kane

France: Lloris, Kunde, Varane, Upamecano, Hernandez, Rabiot, Tchouameni, Dembele (Coman, 79), Griezmann, Mbappe, Giroud

Referee: Pereira Sampaio, Wilton

Stadium: El Bayt Stadium

TEXT BROADCAST OF THE MATCH