Same Old Story
Courtesy of Alex Livesey-Danehouse / Getty Images
England World Cup Spotlight - Quarterfinal
Two of the best teams in the world took to the field at Al Bayt Stadium for the right to play in back-to-back World Cup semifinals. Sadly, only one could advance. England’s dream of bringing home the trophy was dashed in their 2-1 defeat to France, the defending champions.
In a game with so many experienced offensive superstars, it was young French midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni who opened the scoring. His pinpoint long-range shot in the 17th minute flew under Jude Bellingham and past a helpless Jordan Pickford. The game went to halftime 1-0, before Bukayo Saka’s quick footwork won a penalty that Harry Kane converted to level it.
Twenty minutes later, a player who rose to fame in the English Premier League scored the goal that knocked the Three Lions out. Olivier Giroud, who netted 80 goals across 10 seasons for Arsenal and Chelsea, found space between three defenders at the near post to glance a header beyond Pickford.
Giroud is a massive presence on the international stage too. Just this tournament, he overtook legend Thierry Henry’s all-time goalscoring record and now has 53 goals in 118 caps. Since Karim Benzema’s injury before the competition, Giroud has made the number nine shirt his own.
In the 84th minute, French defender Lucas Hernandez charged Mason Mount from behind and gave England another golden opportunity to tie. Kane stepped up to the penalty spot, but blasted the ball over the net. France held on for the victory and will play the incomprehensible Moroccan side on Wednesday, who are the first ever African semifinalists.
Despite the loss, England were the better team for much of the game. They took twice as many shots as France’s eight, and had more possession, shots on target, and expected goals. They looked more comfortable with the ball and had more energy and drive to attack the game.
Never mind the chances they had, it was the same story of England being unable to convert. Even beyond Kane’s tragic penalty miss, his side struggled to take advantage of numerous spells of pressure, and a number of shots came inches away from finding the net. Hugo Lloris played his part with six saves, but England should have done better with the opportunities their extremely talented group had.
Both teams have attacking players that significantly outshine their backlines, but France’s defense looked especially shaky. In addition to multiple risky challenges like Dayot Upamecano nearly clearing out Jude Bellingham in the box or Kingsley Coman diving in to give away a freekick in the final minutes, Lucas Hernandez giving away a foolish penalty while trying to close out the win embodied this weakness.
France scraped past England unpunished, but how long will that luck last? Morocco have shown again and again they are incredibly resolute defenders, and equally capable of punishing momentary lapses in concentration. Further, with Lionel Messi and Argentina’s attack flourishing in their own 3-0 semifinal win over Croatia, France must improve their defensive fragility or risk being completely blown out.
The 2022 World Cup was not England’s long-awaited moment of glory. Even so, they showed that they are an incredibly dangerous team with quality in every position. They should take immense pride in establishing themselves as one of the best, but falling short in a game worthy of being the final.
England will be heartbroken to go home in the quarterfinals, but there is still hope for the team’s future. A large number of players and multiple starters will only be in their mid-twenties for the next cycle. As the squad continues to gain experience including this defeat, the next Euros, and every game in between, they will only get better and better. Boosted by the promising signs of this tournament, the chants of “It’s coming home” at the next World Cup will surely be that much louder.
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