reporter Han Bing reports This is the first time that England and France have met in the knockout round of a major competition. France’s caution comes from Deschamps’ personal experience. He has played against England 7 times: 2 times as a coach, 5 times as a player, The total score of 2 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses does not prevail. In September 2000, Deschamps and Blanc had their farewell match for the national team. Southgate was their opponent, and the final 1-1 draw. The last time Didier Deschamps faced England as manager was in November 2015 at Wembley Stadium, where England won 2-0.
Deschamps maintained the starting lineup against Poland . The only concern is that Conde and Chuameni, if they get another yellow card, will be suspended in the semi-finals. Captain Lori refused to participate in the "armband" show of seven European teams (including England), and was called the only weakness of the French team by the English media. Lori didn't care about that, though. When asked at the pre-match press conference, he even interrupted the reporter's question: "Don't ask this kind of question at the press conference. The important thing is that they have their opinions on the field, and I have my response on the field."
In this campaign, Lloris broke two records in the history of the French team: the number of appearances in team history (143 games) surpassed Thuram , and the number of World Cup appearances (18 games) surpassed Butters and Henry. Of course, the anniversary cannot be turned into a sad day. In the first half, he blocked the one-handed goal of club teammate Kane . Although he failed to prevent Kane's first penalty in the second half, he faced Kane again in the 83rd minute. Teammates of the club shot and flew to ensure that the French team advanced to the top 4.
This is Mbappe's 12th World Cup match, which is only less than Argentina's Kempes (13 games) among players under the age of 24. And as the French team eliminated England and entered the top four, the Paris star will be destined to surpass this record. This is also Griezmann's 17th consecutive World Cup appearance for the French team, tying the record of the legendary goalkeeper Buttes. It was his two assists that helped Chuameni and Giroud score goals in the first and second half respectively, allowing the French team to enter the top 4 of the World Cup for the 7th time and the 2nd consecutive World Cup to enter the top 4.
Only 17 minutes into the game, Griezmann did it on the right rib, Real Madrid teenager Chuameni broke through the England gate with a long shot. This gave the French team an absolute upper hand in both score and psychology. Because since losing to Italy in the 2006 World Cup final, the French team has won 11 subsequent World Cup matches, and this is the 12th time.
In the 78th minute of the second half, Griezmann made a cross from from the left sideline to , helping Giroud to overtake the score again. The Atletico Madrid striker also surpassed Henry and Zidane , becoming the player with the most assists in the history of the French team in the past 50 years (28 times), and also the player who participated in the French team's most goals in the knockout round of the competition (14 goals, 9 goals 5 assists), also surpassed the 1958 World Cup legendary striker Fontaine (13 goals and 3 assists), becoming the player with the most goals in the French team in the competition (18 goals, 11 goals and 7 assists).
In this game, the French team’s opportunity grasping ability and luck are better than England’s. It is reasonable for defending champion to enter the top four. Although Mbappe did not score in this campaign, because entering the top 4 means there are still 2 games left, the Paris superstar is still the biggest favorite for the Golden Boot of the event.
Thanks to Kane's missed penalty, the French team has become the only team that can still win with 2 penalties given to the opponent in a single game since statistics began in 1966. The 6 consecutive victories in the World Cup knockout also set a record in team history, and the French team has taken a key step towards defending the title. Since Brazil in 1998, the French team is the first defending champion to enter the top four of the World Cup. During the 5 World Cups, the defending champion was out of the group stage 4 times, and only the Brazilian team in 2006 entered the top 8.
After the match, even Lineker admitted that the French team, which has superior strength and performance, deserves its name. And as C Ronaldo bid farewell to the World Cup, Messi and Mbappe will make this World Cup a milestone in the handover of the old and new top superstars. Qatar World Cup is expected to give birth to a new "three-star" champion team, but whether it can do so depends on whether the two superstars can continue to lead the team to the final.
