England-France : Defending Champions Soldier On

Olivier Giroud (78’) headed France into the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup as they edged out England by two goals to one in a tight quarterfinal clash at the Al Bayt Stadium last Saturday night. The 36-year-old was the match winner after Harry Kane (54’) strike from the penalty spot cancelled out Aurelien Tchouameni’s opener (17’).
It could all had been different had Harry Kane not skied his penalty six minutes from time when presented with the opportunity to level scores for the second time. That penalty miss summed up a night of wasted chances for the Three Lions who will look back with regrets.  Despite enjoying possession in the opening quarter of the game, England were caught cold with a long range strike from Aurelien Tchouameni (17’) which nestled into the bottom corner of Jordan Pickford’s net.
England responded from going behind and did get back into the game when Tchouameni turned from hero to villain by bringing down Bukayo Saka in the box, forcing the referee to award a penalty for the Three Lions. Harry Kane (54’) stepped up and sent Hugo Lloris the wrong way to bring England level and equal Wayne Rooney’s all-time goals record for England (53). The Three Lions had their tails up but France dug in and stayed in the contest and then picked their moment to strike...