England given World Cup warning sign as dangerous France trio shine

Kane hopes to find best form for England in World Cup knockout stages

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England boss Gareth Southgate has been reminded that his side will likely be in for a tough test if they edge into the World Cup quarter-finals after three French dangermen continued their ominous form in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Poland. The Three Lions and Les Bleus are poised to meet in the last eight, providing England do the business against Senegal. 

France, who lifted the World Cup in 2018, were one of the most impressive sides in the group stages, despite losing their final match to Tunisia. They started slowly against Poland on Sunday, allowing the underdogs plenty of possession but, as expected, their talented attacking stars did the business. 

Olivier Giroud notched just before the break to knock Poland for six at half-time and the quality told in the second half, when Kylian Mbappe added a second and a third, firing France to a statement win. Those in the England camp will have watched on closely in the knowledge that France will be their next opponents if they beat Senegal on Sunday night. 

With a high-stakes and high-quality clash potentially in the works, Express Sport takes you through which three French superstars England should fear the most…

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Kylian Mbappe

Arguably the most feared man at the tournament, England fans needed no extra incentive to be wary of Mbappe after he banged in three goals in as many group-stage games. He produced another electric performance against the Poles as he set up the opener before lashing in the second and third himself.  

Right-back Matty Cash wasn’t totally overmatched in terms of pace, but the Paris Saint-Germain star still had enough in the tank to blitz down the left flank and whip in crosses or cut in on his right foot and unleash accurate shots. Mbappe’s two goals were particularly well-taken as he fired in at the near post before curling in at the back stick, reminiscent of a player brimming with confidence.

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Olivier Giroud

It was another commanding performance from the AC Milan man on Sunday night as his hold-up play made life extremely difficult for Poland. His first-half finish past Wojciech Szczesny was accurate enough to find the side netting to help him become France’s all-time record goal-scorer in the process with 52, one ahead of the legendary Thierry Henry. 

Giroud’s work wasn’t done there, either, as he scored one of the finest disallowed goals in World Cup history with a stupendous bicycle kick that was ruled out due to an earlier head injury. He also had time to kick-start a flowing French counter-attack which was finished off by Mbappe as Les Bleus found their top form towards the end of the game. 

Ousmane Dembele

The Barcelona winger has been bright since action got underway in Qatar and Poland were dealt an early warning shot when his low cross should have been turned in by Giroud. Dembele’s relentless pace makes him a huge problem for opponents to deal with, particularly as England’s Luke Shaw isn’t famed for his blistering speed. 

Some have been critical of Dembele’s end product but the 25-year-old played his part in France’s second with a cushioned pass to Mbappe, who put the game to bed. 

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