FIFA World Cup 2022, Quarter Finals: France win 1-2 in quarter-finals, heartbreak for England

In the last quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2022 hosted by Qatar, England competed against France and it was the latter who put the English camp on the back foot right away. To add more, while the Three Lions thrived to make a comeback post conceding a goal early in the half, France, on the other hand, gave it their all to double the lead and cement their place in the semi-finals of the ongoing multinational tournament.

As far as the first half is concerned, the Les Bleus started creating opportunities right away and ensured that they stayed in the race for the next round. Eventually, Aurélien Tchouaméni produced the lead for the team in the 17th minute and gave them much-needed hope against the mighty English camp. It was a game of match-ups and hard work as both teams gave their best to make it through to the semi-finals.

It was a tough 45 minutes for the Three Lions as they could not match the lead and much to the surprise of the English fans, the players looked out of touch and rusty. Eventually, the first half ended with a scoreline of 0-1 in France's favour and the Les Bleus looked like they would continue the momentum in the second half as well.

France, England sweat it hard in quarter-finals of FIFA World Cup 2022

England were breathing better in the second half and post the break, the team looked confident, contrary to that of the initial half. It was Harry Kane who matched the lead after making use of the penalty in the 54th minute, bringing the Three Lions right back into the game. It was a game of patience for both teams as they created opportunities at regular intervals and counter-attacking as many times as they possibly could.

At the 70-minute mark, the scoreline remained unchanged at 1-1 and it remained to be seen if the match could enter the additional time phase. Out of nowhere, Olivier Giroud, the star player from the Les Bleus, produced the lead in the 78th minute with a header and brought France back into the game. With a missed penalty chance in the 84th minute, the Three Lions stared at a possible defeat at the 85-minute mark given the scoreline remained at 1-2 and eventually lost the game at the stroke of the final whistle.