In a tense World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday, holders France defeated England 2-1 with Olivier Giroud scoring the winner and Harry Kane missing a last-minute penalty to send France into the semifinals.
After France had taken the lead in the first half thanks to Aurelien Tchouameni, Kane scored from the spot to make it 2-2 nine minutes into the second half. At Al Bayt Stadium, England dominated for much of the game, but with 11 minutes remaining, almost out of nowhere, Giroud’s goal gave France the lead back.
The wait for England to win a major international trophy for the first time since the 1966 World Cup continues as Kane scores his second penalty kick of the game but misses the target. France, on the other hand, is still on track to become the first team since Brazil did so 60 years ago to win the World Cup.
France is now unquestionably the favorite to retain their title as they prepare to face Morocco in the semi-finals, with Brazil eliminated on Friday and England defeated here in the desert north of Doha.
Surprisingly, this was the first time these two great rivals had met in a knockout game of a major tournament.
Croatia won in extra time, stopping England from joining France in the final four years ago. After a sluggish start in their last-16 victory over Senegal, England had found their stride, so it came as no surprise that Southgate kept the same team, with Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden flanking Kane in the attack.
As a result, he resisted the urge to switch to a back five in an effort to counter the threat posed by Kylian Mbappe, who led the tournament with five goals. The French team has a lot of players who could score, but Tchouameni, a 22-year-old midfielder who had only scored once for his country before this game, scored the opening goal.
The goal, which came from a France break and started with what appeared to be a foul by Dayot Upamecano on Saka, caused a little controversy. Mbappe cut inside from the left after the Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio waved play on.
Ousmane Dembele and Griezmann combined to set up Tchouameni, who hit a superb 25-meter shot that deflected off of Jordan Pickford and into the corner.
Before that, France appeared to be the more dangerous team, but England gained momentum after falling behind.
Under pressure, Kane spun away from Upamecano in the box, but Hugo Lloris, who plays for Tottenham, came out to dive at his feet. England thought they should have been awarded a penalty when Kane was clearly fouled in a tangle of legs with Upamecano, causing another moment of controversy.
A VAR check, on the other hand, determined that any infraction occurred outside the box, ruling out a spot kick. Not to be discouraged, Kane forced Lloris to tip a shot behind just before the half-hour mark, and the France goalkeeper was called upon again just after the restart to tip a Jude Bellingham volley over. Lloris had won a national record 143 caps.
Seven minutes into the second half, Saka was brought down in the area by Tchouameni; this time, a penalty kick was awarded. Kane moved forward to beat Lloris and score his 53rd objective to approach Wayne Rooney’s record England tally.
Although the holders were unconcerned, England prevailed, and Harry Maguire sent a free kick agonizingly wide. After France had nothing to do in the second half, Giroud made a great save from Pickford after Dembele was knocked down, and they scored shortly after.
Giroud headed in with a touch from Maguire after Griezmann sent in a tremendous cross from the left. After a VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty kick for Theo Hernandez’s shove on Mason Mount, a substitute, but the game was not over.
However, this time Kane blazed over, ending England’s World Cup hopes and threatening to break his nation’s all-time record for goals scored.