Harry Kane shattered after missing the chance to equalize via penalty. Image Credit: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
The much-anticipated clash began with France dominating on the pitch. The pundits were excited to see the clash between the French superstar Kylian Mbappe and pacey English defender Kyle Walker who is considered to be one of the best right backs and a few of many who can keep up with Mbappe
The French dominated as soon as the referee blew the whistle to start the match. Their dominance was established when Aurélien Tchouaméni curled one into the left bottom corner. Pickford dived but the thunderous strike couldn’t be stopped. The English team attacked but couldn’t equalize till the end of the 1st half
Gareth Southgate’s team was rampant from the start of the second half consistently troubling the French team. Shortly after the start, Saka won a penalty for England. Tchouaméni recklessly tackled him in the box and the referee pointed to the spot
The responsibility was handed to English captain Harry Kane who was up against his club teammate Hugo Lloris. The mind games started, but Kane thumped into the left top side with Hugo Lloris diving to the right. The English team had their chances but couldn’t take the lead. Harry Maguire brushed the outside of the post. However, it was France who prevailed
Antoine Griezmann crossed into the England box where Olivier Giroud headed it. France led 2-1. Later in the game, Mason Mount came on and the Chelsea star was shoved carelessly by Theo Hernandez. The referee didn’t give a penalty initially, but a VAR check led him to change his decision
The responsibility was again on the shoulders of Harry Kane but this time he blasted it over the net. England fans held their heads in sorrow while the French players and fans rejoiced. England tried their best but the French defense held them down. Marcus Rashford had the moment to be a national hero. He got a free kick in a dangerous position, many wanted him to repeat the heroics of legend David Beckham who scored that miraculous free kick against Greece to take England into the world cup. However, Marcus Rashford came close. The ball didn’t dip into the net and went over
It ended with Harry Kane hiding his face with his hands and Jordan Pickford asking the cameramen to stay away from his teammate. Gareth Southgate also consoled his star striker but surely this penalty miss would haunt the Tottenham Hotspurs star for a long time
France will face Morocco in the second semi-final with fans expecting a great battle between the ruthless attack of the French team and the mighty defense of Morocco
Written By: Ibtisam Rashed Abbasi
E-mail: ibtisamrashed68@gmail.com
