By Mitch Phillips
AL KHOR, Qatar (Reuters) – Goals from Oliver Giroud and Aurelien Tchouameni gave France a 2-1 win over England to send the defending world champions into the World Cup semi-final against Morocco after Harry Kane equalized from the penalty spot, but wasted a second penalty kick late in Saturday’s match.
France are now one win away from becoming the first consecutive finalist since Brazil in 2002 and two away from becoming the third team to retain the trophy, after Brazil in 1962 and Italy in 1938.
“It’s extraordinary, we worked a lot on defense and in the end we were able to threaten,” said the 36-year-old Giroud.
“We knew the potential of this young England team. They have everything, but we played a solid game, we tried to hurt them on the counterattack. We did it with all our mental strength.”
The French had to work hard for victory as the first knockout match of the tournament between the two former sporting rivals kept up the excitement of the electrifying quarter-final stage.
France took the lead in the 17th minute, with a long-range shot by Tchouameni, prompting a complaint from the English towards Brazilian referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio for an unmarked foul on Bukayo Saka.
England pressed on in search of a draw. Saka, who looked their most threatening player in the first half, was brought down by Tchouameni, and Kane scored the penalty displacing Tottenham Hotspur teammate Hugo Lloris, tying Wayne Rooney as England’s top scorer with 53 goals.
England were buoyed by the goal and were playing with great confidence, and although defender Harry Maguire hit the post with a header, he was unable to assert dominance.
Then France hit back when Griezmann curled in a cross that Giroud anticipated to head in for his fourth goal of the competition.
England were awarded another penalty, via VAR, after Theo Hernandez pushed Mason Mount, but Kane fired the shot over the crossbar six minutes from the end of regulation time.
England pressed for a draw, but when Marcus Rashford’s added-time free-kick went over the top, it was the team’s seventh defeat in 10 World Cup quarter-finals.
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