The 'final before the final' shows fragile France are not yet champions elect

If the fourth and final World Cup quarter-final was meant to reveal the favourite to win the tournament, it left as many questions as answers over France’s title credentials. At the Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday night, one team dominated possession, bossed territory and controlled their opponent – but it was not the side who were celebrating come the final whistle.

Instead it was England who looked the more assured of the two sides, and yet left the pitch at full-time with tears in their eyes and disbelieving shakes of their head. An incredibly passive France side created little and the much talked about Kylian Mbappe was only ever on the periphery of the match. Both their goals came virtually out of nothing, and it took the most unexpected of misses from Harry Kane to secure the reigning champions’ passage to the last four.

By the time the match kicked off, just five teams were still left in the competition and Morocco’s win over Portugal had opened up this half of the draw; the African side must not be taken lightly and have been utterly brilliant en route to an historic semi-final, but their run has taken its toll on a patched-up and increasingly weary-looking squad.

Although the pre-match build-up had centred on Mbappe, it was another young starlet, Aurelien Tchouameni, who broke the deadlock after 17 minutes with a powerful long-range effort that flew past Jordan Pickford. The Real Madrid man is the least adventurous of his side’s midfielders, the glue to hold together the more attacking components ahead of him, but even he is a fabulously rounded player capable of the sublime.

In truth, little else separated the two teams in an evenly contested first half. England had every right to feel aggrieved not to have seen VAR award a penalty after Kane appeared to be tripped on the very edge of the box, but after a long check nothing was given. The Tottenham forward looked like England’s best source of an equaliser and tormented Dayot Upamecano, some moments posting him up and then on other occasions spinning in behind.

France have been reactive throughout this World Cup and for several years under Didier Deschamps and the early goal only made them retreat back even further into those cautious habits. England dictated the play while their passive opponents sat off and patiently waited for an opportunity to turn over the ball and release Mbappe – who was largely kept under wraps by Kyle Walker.

England did eventually get their penalty – and a deserved equaliser – after Bukayo Saka weaved his way through a host of blue shirts before being brought down by Tchouameni shortly after the restart. After a long wait, Kane stared down club team-mate Hugo Lloris and buried the ball in the opposite corner.

Bar a momentary lapse in concentration after the goal, England were by far the more progressive and confident team at this point and had the world champions looking rattled. Was this really all they had to offer? That questioned was answered by Olivier Giroud. After a point-blank volley was well saved by Pickford, the 36-year-old had more luck with his head – though even that effort took a kind deflection off Harry Maguire.

Then came the moment that defined the match after England were awarded a second penalty, this time for a clear shove from Theo Hernandez on substitute Mason Mount. Kane’s wait was even longer this time, Lloris’ glare more intimidating, and he skied his effort high over the bar. In a tournament of awful penalties, this was perhaps the worst – and the most unexpected.

Yet England can take enormous heart from their performance, perhaps even more so than their deeper runs in tournaments past. Against Croatia four years ago and Italy last year, it was clear where their shortcomings lay. But this was a more mature, more intelligent display and the foundation for future success has only been enhanced, not damaged.

England had 57% possession against France compared to 35% against Italy and 44% against Croatia. In those previous 240 minutes of action, Southgate’s side had carved out a combined total of 17 shots on goal. They had 16 against France alone – twice as many as their opponent. England attempted 125 more passes, while Les Bleus played 37.5% more long balls.

For France, it is certainly a positive that they have come through this test without Mbappe having his usual influence while managers often talk of the ability to ‘suffer’ in matches as a sign of resilience. But they do not look like champions elect.

They appeared incapable of controlling the flow of the game and were out-matched in midfield – something that is likely to be even more pronounced if they reach the final and come up against Argentina’s tenacious midfielders or Croatia’s trident of cultured playmakers. Moreover, the other three teams left in the competition have all been forced to go to the well too, and to a far more extreme extent.

This World Cup has thrown up plenty of surprises and France overcoming England is certainly not one of them. But the nature of the match, and the Three Lions’ control of it, just might be. Far from underscoring France’s superiority, it highlighted just how tepid and timid Deschamps’ approach has become and Saturday’s match might just have Argentina, Croatia and even Morocco licking their lips.

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