England 1-2 France: Kane’s penalty miss, Lloris breaks record, Saka dominant on the right

Harry Kane missed an 84th-minute penalty as England were beaten 2-1 by the reigning champions France in the World Cup quarter-finals.

The skied spot-kick, six minutes after Olivier Giroud had restored France’s lead, meant the game finished in 90 minutes. England captain Kane had earlier scored a penalty — and been denied one in the first half after a foul by Dayot Upamecano just outside the area.

Aurelien Tchouameni put France ahead in the first half with an impressive strike from distance and Didier Deschamps’ side will now play surprise package Morocco in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

Our writers analyse the key talking points…

France are the overwhelming favourites now

Les Bleus march on. This was the toughest test yet of their strongest selection in Qatar – that is not meant as a slight on Tunisia’s win over France in the final group game, but that was a shadow line-up – and they were stretched for long periods, and ultimately left grateful that Kane’s radar was skewed in the latter stages. Yet they still found a way to prevail.

Now the defending champions feel like overwhelming favourites to win next Sunday’s final and become the first nation in 60 years to retain the World Cup.

That would represent a remarkable achievement for Deschamps. Lest we forget, pre-tournament injuries stripped his team of three key players – Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba – but the collective is still functioning.

Their forward line is still the envy of all-comers — they cannot all be quelled at once. When Kylian Mbappe is relatively becalmed, up steps Antoine Griezmann to torment opponents with his movement and delivery. When Ousmane Dembele only fires in fits and starts, there is Giroud to add to his national-team record goals tally. The AC Milan forward now has 53 to his name.

Their defence can feel vulnerable, but here they found a way to blunt the joint most prolific team at the finals, whether that was via Hugo Lloris’ shot-stopping or the kind of desperate lunge that saw Theo Hernandez snuff out Bukayo Saka’s chance at the near post.

Now they have a match with huge meaning against Morocco as they pursue a third appearance in the World Cup final in five tournaments. They progress confident and assured.

England were a test, but one they passed; they are on track to achieve something remarkable.

Dominic Fifield

This result will haunt Kane and England

Losing this one is going to hurt for a long time: for Gareth Southgate, for Harry Kane and for everyone associated with this England team.

They have developed into a far better side than when they reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, but the difference is that this time they ran into France at the quarter-final stage … and that, having been the world champions’ equal for much of the game, they blew their chance to force extra time when Kane blazed over the crossbar with his second penalty of the night.

That moment will haunt Kane — he looked distraught after the final whistle — but he will not be alone in that. In the past four years, England have reached a World Cup semi-final, a European Championship final and now a World Cup quarter-final and have lost by small margins on each occasion. There is little cause for reproach, but plenty of cause for regret.

We had wondered whether England might fall short again when they ran into a higher class of opponent. That was always the big question about Southgate and his team, but it is hard in the immediate aftermath to think what they could and should done differently.

They played well on the night — not brilliantly, but well. They were so near, yet ultimately so far.

Oliver Kay

Record-breaking Lloris drives France on

Hugo Lloris now stands alone as France’s most-capped player. The world champions’ goalkeeper and captain eclipsed Lilian Thuram’s national record by featuring for his country for the 143rd time, a staggering tally over a career at this level that has edged into its 15th year, so perhaps it should not have come as a surprise that he rose to the occasion.

This was the Tottenham Hotspur veteran at his best. There was a sharp dart from his line at the sight of Harry Kane, a club-mate turned rival and fellow skipper, rolling Dayot Upamecano and advancing at a tight angle midway through the first half. Kane attempted to flick a right-foot finish over the on-rushing goalkeeper, but Lloris spread himself well and blocked at point-blank range.

His readjustment as Kane’s shot seven minutes later deflected off Adrien Rabiot, with the attempt palmed behind for a corner, was just as impressive. Add to that the leap to finger-tip Jude Bellingham’s blistering volley just after the break.

Lloris would probably argue that he out-psyched Kane on that second penalty — he dived to his right, having gone left at the first, and perhaps kidded his Spurs team-mate to thump it harder than the one earlier in the half — which was blazed so horribly over the bar six minutes from time. Certainly, the reaction of the other French players suggested they were aware of his role in the miss.

As English pressure mounted, Lloris was a source of reassurance.

It had been put to the 35-year-old in the build-up to this match that he might be the weakest link on this line-up of champions. He was understandably unimpressed at the suggestion. “I’ll do my talking on the pitch,” he offered in riposte.

Lloris was true to his word.

Dominic Fifield

Harry Kane and a tale of three penalties

If there is one thing Harry Kane is known for, particularly in an England shirt, it is being reliable from the penalty spot.

He had equalised from 12 yards earlier in the game but later missed one that would have made it 2-2 with six minutes of normal time to go — his fifth miss in 21 penalties.

The England captain and talisman is no stranger to a knockout-phase penalty — he opened the scoring for England in their round of 16 game against Colombia in 2018, lifting the ball down the middle.

The first spot-kick here against France was the trademark Kane run-up again, on his toes to activate his muscles and fire across Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris in trademark fashion into the middle-left portion of the goal.

But the best part was his composure. Having initially lined up to take it, Kane glanced at the referee before taking the time to reposition the ball on the spot. For such a psychological event, these margins matter and the No 9 did not rush the kick either, further pointing to how relaxed he was, and certainly a reflection of England’s changed perception of penalties as a lottery to having a ‘systematic focus’.

And in the wider picture, it underlined his importance for his country.

Kane’s 53rd goal for England — in his 80th cap — takes him level with Wayne Rooney at the top of the scoring charts, in 40 fewer games.

Kane’s agony

PLAYER OPPOSITION WHAT HAPPENED

Gary Lineker

v Cameroon in 1990 WC QF

Scored x 2

Harry Kane

v Panama in 2018 WC Groups

Scored x 2

Harry Kane

v France in 2022 WC QF

Scored x 1, Missed x 1

But then he missed that second one. England had a further penalty shout in the first half turned down when their captain was felled by Upamecano but France left-back Theo Hernandez bundled over substitute Mason Mount to give Kane the chance to restore parity with five minutes to go.

The run-up looked slightly shorter than the first time and Kane went higher, which was an attempt to make it a more unstoppable penalty but also required perfection. And it was overhit, with Lloris this time guessing the right way.

Liam Tharme

On a quiet day, Mbappe still makes an impact

Even when Kylian Mbappe isn’t quite himself, he’s decisive.

For most of this match, Mbappe was, if not quite invisible, at least not very threatening.

France were happy to let England bring the ball forward so they could then try to attack the space behind them, but England’s usual shape in possession, with Kyle Walker dropping into the back line from the right-back slot, gave them natural protection against Mbappe on the counter-attack.

Instead of receiving the ball on the left wing and dribbling up the sideline or running in behind for balls over the top, the way he has throughout this World Cup to date, Mbappe spent a lot of time drifting inside to receive in front of Walker and then wait for his left-back, Theo Hernandez, to sprint up the wing.

Mbappe beat Walker up the wing on the dribble only a couple of times over 100 minutes, including stoppage time, and while one of those did lead to a dangerous cutback for Ousmane Dembele in front of the penalty spot, he couldn’t corral it for a shot.

And yet for France’s first goal, the attack started with — who else? — Mbappe.

In the 17th minute, after a Walker attacking run left England’s right flank vacant, Mbappe flicked a ball between Jordan Henderson and Declan Rice, dribbled across an empty midfield to lay the ball off to Dembele, and England’s defence never recovered its shape as Aurelien Tchouameni finished the move with a wide-open shot from the top of the box.

In the 77th minute, another Mbappe dribble between Walker and Bukayo Saka led to a huge Olivier Giroud chance in front of goal. Jordan Pickford saved that shot but not one after the ensuing corner kick, and France went ahead again.

Mbappe could have been decisive in the other direction, too. His complete disinterest in defending let the usually left-leaning England find room for Saka and Henderson to create danger up the right side all day, and it was a Saka dribble in the space behind Mbappe and Hernandez in transition that earned England their first penalty.

But it wasn’t enough, and even a quiet day from Mbappe left French fans making the noise at full time.

John Muller

Bellingham v Tchouameni: Who had the bigger impact?

Last summer, France’s Aurelien Tchouameni was the talented young midfielder who moved for a huge fee. England’s Jude Bellingham is likely to be the one doing so next summer.

Unsurprisingly, both were involved in some of the game’s defining moments. 

It was Tchouameni, after an intelligent, patient run, who shot through the legs of the England midfielder and into the bottom corner to give France the lead.

It was Bellingham’s flick to Bukayo Saka that led to Tchouameni bringing the Arsenal winger down, allowing Harry Kane to equalise from the penalty spot.

The pair operate in very different roles. Tchouameni was excellent in the first half tonight, sitting in front of his back four, keeping things simple in possession while putting out fires. England therefore struggled to get their key players involved in threatening positions, including Bellingham.  

If Tchouameni won the first-half battle, Bellingham won the second.

His impact grew. He demanded the ball, floating away from his left-sided central midfield role to be a constant option. His off-the-ball movement opened up the game for others and disrupted France’s defensive shape. He nearly scored a goal equally as good as Tchouameni’s early in the second half, too, but Hugo Lloris denied him. 

Tchouameni meanwhile, began to falter first with the penalty concession, then losing Harry Maguire when he headed a free kick agonisingly wide. He didn’t apply any pressure on Luke Shaw’s dangerous cross to Saka. 

He won’t care though, he’s in the semi-final.  

Andy Jones

Saka impresses as England target the right-hand side

The approach from England was different to their last-16 tie.

In that 3-0 win over Senegal, England overloaded the left-hand side in wide areas, with 49 per cent of their attacking touches coming from that flank. It was the opposite against France with 39 per cent of England’s attacking touches down their right wing, and it was the magic feet of Bukayo Saka as the main threat throughout.

England frequently got the ball out to Saka, with Harry Kane often shifting across and Jordan Henderson or Jude Bellingham providing numerical superiority on the right-hand side. Saka’s energy on the ball was matched by his defensive discipline off the ball, as he frequently got back to provide support to right-back Kyle Walker — staving off the threat of Kylian Mbappe.

It was Saka’s superb dribbling that led to the equaliser. England exposed France’s misshapen structure in transition, with Adrien Rabiot pulling out to left-back and left in a one-v-one with Saka. As he came inside and played a one-two with Bellingham, Saka’s feet were simply too quick for Tchouameni, who could do little else but bring him to the floor.

Saka was a constant threat throughout, and England’s approach to target that flank was certainly by design. He did not deserve to be on the losing side.

Mark Carey

(Photo: Hector Vivas – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)