France manager Didier Deschamps praised his players for their "heart and guts" after beating England to reach the 2022 World Cup semi-finals on Saturday night.
World Cup holders France edged England 2-1 at Al Bayt Stadium, Aurelien Tchouameni opening the scoring with a superb long-range effort in the first half, before Olivier Giroud's header 12 minutes from time restored their lead after Harry Kane had equalised from the penalty spot. Kane had the chance to pull England level again shortly after Giroud's goal but thrashed his second penalty well over the bar.
The victory keeps alive France's hopes of becoming the first team in 60 years to retain the World Cup
"It's fabulous, it was a big game," Deschamps said. "We played a superb England team who are strong technically and physically.
"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."
Giroud, who passed Thierry Henry to become France's all-time top goalscorer 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," he 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," he added. "(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."
England v France player ratings
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ENGLAND RATINGS: Jordan Pickford – 6. England’s No 1 did well despite conceding twice. He saw Tchouameni’s effort late for France’s first, and he could do nothing about Giroud’s bullet header. He kept England in the game to deny France at close-range with an acrobatic save. EPA -
Kyle Walker – 7. Tasked with handling Mbappe, a big performance was needed, and he did better than most players this tournament. He marshalled him well and even managed to attack several times in the second half. AFP -
John Stones – 6. The Manchester City defender was guilty of losing Giroud in the first half to allow a headed chance, but he did show off some good passing play, with England playing out from the back. Getty -
Harry Maguire – 6. The Manchester United centre-back looked strong, making several good clearances, especially from a Mbappe cross which was heading straight to Giroud. He also nearly scored, but his header fizzed just wide. However, he was also partially at fault for France’s second as he allowed Giroud to get in front of him and head the ball home. AP -
Luke Shaw – 6. The left-back was found often diving in a bit too early on challenges in the first half, but he stepped up his game in the second with a brilliant attacking run leading to a cross to Saka, which was met and fired just wide. AFP -
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Quarter Final - England v France - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar - December 11, 2022 England's Jordan Henderson and Jude Bellingham look dejected after the match as England are eliminated from the World Cup REUTERS / Annegret Hilse -
Declan Rice – 7. England’s midfield anchor went under the radar in the first half, but grew into the game and helped England’s transitions from defence to attack. Formed a great barrier in front of the defence too. Getty -
Jordan Henderson – 7. Liverpool’s captain gave everything. Constantly chasing the ball down, he also helped to create many attacking plays for England. AFP -
Jude Bellingham – 6. The midfielder was wasteful with his passing in the first half. His second half was much better, and he nearly scored a thunderbolt but Lloris tipped it over. EPA -
Bukayo Saka – 8. Arsenal’s wideman was England’s standout performer. Constantly fouled, he had Theo Hernandez on toast, and was key to England’s attacking play. He was brought down in the box for the first penalty, and played well until he was taken off in the 78th minute. Getty -
Phil Foden – 7. The City winger improved as the game went on and caused Kounde vast trouble out on the left flank. His quality of delivery was quality, and his standout attribute was his close interplay in tight areas. Reuters -
Harry Kane – 6. England’s captain led the line with distinction, carrying the ball forward well and getting several powerful shots away. His first penalty was converted brilliantly, but suffered heartbreak with penalty number two. Getty -
SUBS: Raheem Sterling (Saka 78’) – N/A. After returning to the squad, Sterling was brought on in the late phases and didn’t have a huge impact, with his key moment a good tackle on Mbappe to stop an attack. EPA -
SUBS: Mason Mount (Henderson 78’) – N/A. Mount was fouled in the box soon after coming on and VAR helped to award a penalty. He also drew a number of fouls, but his decision making at times wasn’t always brilliant. AFP -
Marcus Rashford (Foden 84) – N/A. Being one of England’s most in-form players this tournament, he was brought on in the latter stages and fired over with a late free-kick. AP -
Jack Grealish (Stones, 90) – N/A. A strange substitute in the final minute, as there was very little he could add to the game. Getty -
FRANCE RATINGS: Hugo Lloris – 8. The France captain stepped up and made a number of key stops to deny Kane in the first half and Bellingham in the second. He led from the back with a true captain’s performance. AFP -
Jules Kounde – 6. The Barcelona defender had a tough evening, with Foden often getting the better of him along his flank. EPA -
Raphael Varane – 6. The experienced defender contributed some slick passes but like his teammates looked nervous at times. AFP -
Dayot Upamecano – 5. France’s weakest link in the team on the day, the defender was lucky to get away with numerous fouls throughout the game, with one on Kane leading to a VAR check. Constantly dived into challenges. AP -
Theo Hernandez – 5. Struggled to keep up with Saka, the left-back seemed at odds with how to handle the Arsenal winger. He gave away a penalty after fouling Mount in the box and was lucky to not be sent off. A poor performer in an overall good team performance. PA -
Albert Tchouameni – 7. The young midfielder put France ahead and ignited their progression with a thundering strike from outside the box. He did, however, give away the first penalty with a bad tackle on Saka. AFP -
Adrien Rabiot – 6. The Juventus midfielder was lucky to get away with several fouls, with Saka the victim time and again. He did however set up some good chances, breaking forward with purpose, and having a shot of his own denied by Pickford. AFP -
Ousmane Dembele – 6. The rapid winger contributed several one-touch passes down the line leading to attacking chances. His dribbling was of high quality too, but his second half performance was tarnished by missed chances and several fouls before being taken off. AFP -
Antoine Griezmann – 8. Operating well in the No 10 role, the Atletico attacker had a good game, showcasing his close control footwork and making a number of good runs forward and sending the England players in several directions. He did give away a number of fouls, but was key in his teams winning performance. PA -
Kylian Mbappe – 6. France’s dangerman spent the game tightly man-marked but still managed to escape on numerous occasions. He had a chance late in the first half but blazed over. AFP -
Oliver Giroud – 8. The nation’s leading goalscorer didn’t disappoint, adding another to his tally to send his team through to the semi-finals, heading home a cross late on in the 88th minute. He had several shots throughout and even attempted a scorpion kick. Reuters -
SUBS: Kingsley Coman (Dembele 79’) – N/A. The lone substitute came on in the 78th minute and his biggest contribution was a foul he gave away after he took down Maguire on the edge of his own box. EPA
France will be favourites when they play Morocco – the first African team ever to reach the semis after their 1-0 win over Portugal – on Wednesday looking to reach a third World Cup final after winning the title in 1998 and 2018.
However, Morocco have been more than a match for other European heavyweights in Qatar, defeating Belgium in the group stage and eliminating Spain and Portugal in successive knockout rounds.
"We will prepare for the next game thoroughly. Morocco deserve praise," said Deschamps. "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."
