England again opted to go with Henderson and Walker today instead of Mount and Trippier. Henderson and Walker were key to the plan to nullify Mbappe.
France go with an unchanged lineup too. Deschamps’ style is to find a winning team combination and stick with it, in spite of the star-studded reserve of players available.
Saka was fouled in the build-up to Tchouameni’s early stunner. But England avenged their conceded goal and found a way back into the game after Saka was fouled by Tchouameni in the box. Kane dispatched his penalty past his Spurs captain Hugo Lloris.
Griezmann, very creative this tournament, put in a delightful cross which Giroud beat Maguire to.
England could not have gotten a better chance to restore parity, as Mount was fouled and England were awarded another penalty.
But this time it was not to be. Harry Kane blazed it over the bar.
England were the better team and can consider themselves unlucky. Some refereeing decisions went against them. Kane alone created more expected goals (xG) than the entire French team. They made a good account of themselves against the reigning world champions but will still be disappointed at their exit.
Saka was England’s trickiest player and was a handful for the French to deal with. Kane will feel very, very gutted to have missed that crucial penalty.
The debate continues to rage over the suitability of Gareth Southgate for the job. I would stick with him for at least one more major tournament. Although he hasn’t won anything, England’s results and performances have been good in the 3 tournaments he’s taken charge of.
Les Blues will face Morocco in the semi-finals. Will their star-studded frontline finally score against Morocco’s robust defence?
BLOGOPUS 