France defeats England 2-1... Close to back-to-back championships

France-Morocco, Argentina-Croatia... Semifinal Lineup Complete
Kane Ties Rooney as England's Top Scorer with 53 International Goals but Tears Up After Missing PK

The scene of France's Tchouameni's opening goal [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] France took a step closer to winning the championship for the second consecutive time by defeating England.

On the 11th (Korean time), France beat England 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the Qatar World Cup held at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, advancing to the semifinals.

The French team, reaching the semifinals for the seventh time, is challenging for their second title since the 2018 Russia World Cup. Historically, defending champions have often performed poorly, leading to the term "champion's curse." So far, only Italy in 1934 and 1938, and Brazil in 1958 and 1962, have won back-to-back titles twice. It has been 24 years since the last time a defending champion reached the semifinals, which was Brazil in 1998.

The scoring opened in the 17th minute of the first half with France taking the lead. Aur?lien Tchouam?ni received a pass from Antoine Griezmann and fired a lightning-fast low right-footed long-range shot that pierced the left corner of the goal.

England counterattacked with Harry Kane, Phil Foden, and Bukayo Saka leading the charge but failed to score. In the 25th minute of the first half, Kane was tripped by French center-back Dayot Upamecano near the right line of the penalty area, but after video assistant referee (VAR) review, no penalty was awarded. In the 29th minute, Kane took a right-footed shot after receiving a pass from Declan Rice near the right side of the penalty arc, but it was blocked by French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

The equalizer came in the 9th minute of the second half from a penalty kick for England. Tchouam?ni fouled Bukayo Saka inside the penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick. Kane, the penalty taker, scored with a right-footed shot. This was Kane's 53rd goal in international matches, making him tied with Wayne Rooney as England's all-time top scorer.

Afterward, England dominated the attacking flow but failed to score. In the 25th minute of the second half, Harry Maguire's header narrowly missed the left side of the goal, and two minutes later, Saka's shot was off target, missing the goalpost.

In the 33rd minute of the second half, France scored the decisive goal. Following a corner kick, Griezmann delivered a left-side cross that Olivier Giroud headed in, marking his fourth goal of the tournament. Giroud extended his record as France's all-time top scorer in international matches to 53 goals.

In the 36th minute of the second half, Mount was pushed by Theo Hernandez in the center of the penalty area and fell, earning a penalty kick. However, Kane's shot missed the goal, going into the air futilely. In the final moments of 8 minutes of added time, England had a last free-kick opportunity from a good position just behind the penalty arc, but Marcus Rashford's right-footed shot hit the top of the net, failing to score.

France, aiming for their third world title following their home tournament in 1998 and the 2018 championship, will compete for a place in the final against Morocco, the surprise team that became the first African team to reach the semifinals by defeating Portugal 1-0, on the 15th at Al Bayt Stadium. The other semifinal matchup has been confirmed as Argentina versus Croatia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.