Last updated on December 11th, 2022 at 07:00 am
World Cup defending champion France qualifies for the semifinals after beating England. Harry Kane missed a penalty kick that could have tied the game. As a result, he became a hero to zero as the match ended.
The French took an early lead on Saturday at the Al Bayt Stadium thanks to a goal from Aurélien Tchouaméni. His thunderous strike lit the match ablaze.
With a decisive penalty kick, England’s captain Harry Kane evened the score between the two 2018 finalists. With this goal, he tied Wayne Rooney for first place on England’s all-time scoring list with 53.
France Wins
Just over ten minutes remained when Olivier Giroud’s header gave the defending champions the lead again; however, Kane missed the goal on a late penalty, and France could hang on for the win.
After defeating Portugal earlier on Wednesday, France will meet Morocco in the World Cup semifinals. Morocco is the first African team to get to the semifinals. Prop bet builder wasn’t able to predict that one.
Thanks to their victory, Didier Deschamps’ France squad became the first defending champion to surpass the quarterfinals in the 21st century.
According to PPH bookie sources, two of the four teams left standing from the 2018 World Cup were considered serious championship prospects for Qatar in 2022.
The stakes were high from the beginning as the two sides sized each other up. Sports handicapping specialists were hyped about the matchup.
After 10 minutes, the first meaningful opportunity presented itself when Giroud sent a cross into the arms of Jordan Pickford in the England goal.
Harry Kane Missed a Penalty
England’s persistence paid off when Tchouaméni was called for a foul on Saka, and the referee waved the play back to the spot for a penalty kick.
Kane used this opportunity with both feet, smashing the ball into the bottom right corner of the French goal to tie Rooney, a former striker for Manchester United, for the most goals scored by an English player.
With little over 10 minutes left, France regained the lead thanks to Giroud, the team’s all-time leading scorer, who headed in his fourth tournament goal to give France the edge against the run of play.
After Theo Hernández was called for a foul on Mason Mount, Sampaio awarded England another penalty after evaluating the play with VAR and giving England a second chance to tie the game.
Kane’s shot went high and wide this time.
