Agony, sadness but few regrets after brave show
IBEGAN this World Cup believing that England had the talent, focus and manager to make them world champions. I finished watching last night’s defeat to France gutted and frustrated, but they didn’t let anyone down. At the highest level, games get decided on fine margins and that applied in the first half last night. It was tight, with England dominating possession and shots, but France took the key chance they had.
There’s two ways of seeing that opening goal, one of which is it should never have happened. Play should have been stopped for a foul on Bukayo Saka as the move that led to the goal began.
I watched it and then on the replays it appears clear that Dayot Upamecano brings Bukayo down but it wasn’t given and if it was referred to VAR then they didn’t agree with me.
Upamecano then ran off with the ball, and with a rapid switch of play, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembélé and Antoine Griezmann all got involved.
The conclusion? A really great finish from 25 yards or more, at literally more than 100kph, by Aurélien Tchouaméni.
The second way of seeing that goal is that you play to the whistle, and as soon as Upamecano is off and running, then all attention must switch to what’s happening in the attack and how to stop it.
France are a brilliant team, and it was always going to be the case that England would need to be on it, focused, for the entire match to contain them.
The fine margins were also seen when Harry Kane had what I thought was a legitimate penalty call after 25 minutes. It was Upamecano again. It looked like a foul, whether just on the edge of the area, or on the edge and carrying into the area.
Again it wasn’t given, and there was a VAR check that said no.
England finally got a big decision in their favour, rightly, not long into the second half when Tchouameni fouled Kane. Harry absolutely walloped the spot-kick past his Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris and it was game on.
Morocco stunned Portugal yesterday to make history by becoming the first nation from Africa to reach a World Cup semi-final.
They’ve got flair but crucially they’ve had clean sheets, mostly. They’ve conceded one goal in their last nine games, and that was an own goal against Canada. Clean sheets are demonstrative of good team spirit, indicative of working together to keep goals out as well as score.
People who are a lot older than me can tell you that being an England fan down the years has often been a rollercoaster ride — and apart from 1966, falling short of winning that trophy in a major tournament. We got close in 2018, really so close, and I can tell you that it hurts.
I was fortunate to play in Gareth Southgate’s team in Russia four years ago, and we believed we could win. And then when, against Croatia, we fell short in the semi-finals, it was so painful. I’m not talking about a few days, but weeks and longer.
Having said that, how have Croatia got on in Qatar? Their doggedness and refusal to give in are something else. England were in the ascendancy at 1-1 last night, growing into the game, and I felt they could catch France on the counter and nick a lead going into the latter stages.
Bukayo, Harry and Phil Foden were getting more and more involved but then Olivier Giroud headed in from Antoine Griezmann’s cross to put France ahead. England then got a second penalty for Theo Hernandez’s blatant barge on Mason Mount. Harry smashed it over the bar. Such tension. Such disappointment.
But this England team did their country proud.