Mueez Ajao
– France coach Didier Deschamps admitted his side was a “bit lucky” to beat England in their World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday at Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar.
– But lucky or not, defending champions France rode an Olivier Giroud winner and saw England captain Harry Kane miss a late penalty to seal a 2-1 win and book a spot in the semifinals against Morocco on Wednesday.
– “It’s fabulous, it was a big game,” Deschamps said. “We played a superb England team who are strong technically and physically.
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– “It’s brilliant for the players to be in the last four again. In these moments you kind of wish time could stop for a while.
– “But tonight we’re going to enjoy it. We got a bit lucky although we gave away two penalties. We kept our lead with our hearts and our guts.”
– Kane equalised with a penalty in the 54th minute to cancel out Aurelien Tchouameni’s opener for France, but the Tottenham Hotspur star missed a second penalty half an hour later, sailing his attempt over the bar.
– Giroud, who passed Thierry Henry to become France’s all-time top goal scorer earlier in the tournament, said Les Bleus had to be at their best to beat England.
– “This goal tonight, the 53rd, is even better [than equalling Henry]. Just before I had a chance that I should have hit harder and scored,” Giroud said. “I thought I might get another chance, and when it came to me it was an unbelievable feeling to score.
– “You need to keep believing. [Antoine Griezmann] gave me a super ball, it’s so good for the team, it’s awesome.
– “We knew the potential of this young England team. They have everything, but we played a solid game, we tried to hurt them on the break. We went for it with all our mental strength.”
– France, who became the first defending champion to reach the semifinals again in 60 years, will be heavy favourites on Wednesday. After beating England, Deschamps revealed his admiration for Morocco — the first African team to reach the semis following their 1-0 win over Portugal earlier in the day.
– “We will prepare for the next game thoroughly. Morocco deserve praise,” Deschamps said. “Maybe they were not expected here [in the last four], but they conceded only one goal and then, seeing them here is not a surprise at all.”
