AL KHOR: Strikes from Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud helped France beat England 2-1 at Al Khor on Sunday and march into the semifinals of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022.
France enjoyed a solid amount of ball possession in the start. In the 7th minute, star striker Kylian Mbappe created a chance for France, curling a cross into the England penalty area and Olivier Giroud attempted a scorpion kick which failed to connect.
In the 11th minute, France got another chance to score, as Giroud attempted a header, but no damage was done to England.
France took the lead in the 17th minute as Mbappe passed the ball to Antoine Griezmann, but the latter pulled it back to Aurelien Tchouameni. who fired the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal from almost 30 yards, leaving Jordan Pickford, the English goalie stunned.
Following this, Luke Shaw and Harry Kane attempted to score for England, but were denied by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Lloris made a great save to deny Kane a close-range goal, but England was clearly looking to bounce back.
In the 25th minute, England’s Kane fell on the edge of France’s box, but a VAR check ruled out the possibility of a penalty as the contact was made outside the box.
Kane took another attempt at goal, but was denied once again. England started to dominate the game in terms of shots on target and ball possession, but an equaliser was needed.
In the 42nd minute, a yellow card was issued to Griezmann for tripping Kyle Walker.
Four minutes of additional stoppage time was added. At the end of the first half, the scoreline read 1-0 in favour of France.
In the 49th minute after the resumption of play, a foul was committed on Mbappe and France was given a chance to double their lead with a free kick, but Kane cleared Griezmann’s delivery.
Saka was fouled in the 52nd minute after a trip from Tchouameni. England was given a penalty. Harry Kane converted the penalty into an equalizer in the 54th minute to keep his side in the game. He scored his 53rd goal for England, equalling Wayne Rooney as the leading run-scorer of his side.
In the 57th minute, Mbappe beat Walker and the ball went to Ousmane Dembele, who could not connect with the delivery. England was almost threatened by the possibility of France gaining the lead, but nothing much happened.
In the 78th minute of the match, France got their lead back as Giroud beat Harry Maguire, powering a header beyond Pickford to make the scoreline read 2-1 in his side’s favour. Griezmann’s cross was well-received by Giroud.
In the 83rd minute, France’s Theo Hernandez was booked for clattering into the substitute Mason Mount and England was awarded a penalty. Harry
Kane got a chance to score an equaliser but his shot went over the bar.
Eight minutes of stoppage time was added after 90 minutes.
At the end of stoppage time, France progressed to semis as the scoreline read 2-1 in their favour. It was another heartbreak for England. England enjoyed bulk of ball possession with total of 58 per cent, as compared to the 42 per cent enjoyed by France. England also had more shots on target, eight, as compared to France’s five. (ANI)