Defending champions France take on England today in a mouthwatering FIFA World Cup quarter-final that pits superstar Kylian Mbappe against a forward lineup packed with youthful zest.
The two European heavyweights, separated by just 32km of sea, have surprisingly met just twice on the biggest stage, but not since 1982.
France, crowned world champions for the second time in Russia in 2018, eased past Poland in the round-of-16, with two goals from Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe and one from Olivier Giroud.
Photo: EPA-EFE
England beat Senegal 3-0, turning on the style for an ultimately comfortable win against the African champions after a shaky start.
Mbappe, 23, is the tournament’s top scorer, with five goals in four starts, while Giroud’s strike against Poland made him France’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Questions about how England would keep the deadly Mbappe quiet have dominated the buildup to the match, which takes place in the desert setting of Al Bayt Stadium.
England’s pacy rightback Kyle Walker, likely to have the task of shackling Mbappe, was anxious to avoid the impression that the fleet-footed attacker is the only threat.
“I know he’s a top player, but we’re not playing tennis. It’s not a solo sport, it’s a team game,” the Manchester City defender said. “We know he’s a great player and that’s why he’s the focus of all questions, but let’s not forget Giroud, who has scored countless [goals], and [Ousmane] Dembele, for me just as good on the other wing.”
The France midfield has coped well in the absence of the injured N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, with Antoine Griezmann impressing, but if there is a potential weakness in Didier Deschamps’ lineup it could be in the fullback positions.
Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez face a tough test against whoever they face, with Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling all in the mix.
That wealth of attacking options means England would also have enviable game-changing players on the bench.
France midfielder Adrien Rabiot is predicting an open match.
“England are a team with similar characteristics to us, really quick players out wide, attacking fullbacks and midfielders who like to get forward, but I am not sure we need to say that we have to be wary of them. They will also be very wary because we can cause them problems,” Rabiot said.
Southgate is in a tricky position. Does he stick or twist? Does he let his young attackers off the leash or bolster his defensive options?
The England coach came under fire in the buildup to the World Cup after a miserable winless run, even though he has credit in the bank from reaching the semi-finals in 2018 and the final of last year’s Euro 2020.
England are joint top-scorers in Qatar heading into the quarter-finals, with 12 goals from their four games.
Their standout player has been marauding teenager Jude Bellingham, who has formed an impressive partnership alongside the more defensive-minded Declan Rice.
Like France, England’s potential weakness is at the back, with central defender Harry Maguire vulnerable to pace.
Southgate said the match was the “biggest test we could face.”
“They are world champions, with an incredible depth of talent and outstanding players. They are very hard to play against and score goals against,” Southgate said. “It’s a fantastic challenge. It’s a historic rivalry with great games from the past. It’s a brilliant game for us to be involved in and test ourselves against the very best.”
The qualifying round of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) is to be held at the Taipei Dome between Feb. 21 and 25, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced today. Taiwan’s group also includes Spain, Nicaragua and South Africa, with two of the four teams advancing onto the 2026 WBC. Taiwan, currently ranked second in the world in the World Baseball Softball Confederation rankings, are favorites to come out of the group, the MLB said in an article announcing the matchups. Last year, Taiwan finished in a five-way tie in their group with two wins and two losses, but finished last on tiebreakers after giving
North Korea’s FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup-winning team on Saturday received a heroes’ welcome back in the capital, Pyongyang, with hundreds of people on the streets to celebrate their success. They had defeated Spain on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the U17 World Cup final in the Dominican Republic on Nov. 3. It was the second global title in two months for secretive North Korea — largely closed off to the outside world; they also lifted the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in September. Officials and players’ families gathered at Pyongyang International Airport to wave flowers and North Korea flags as the
For King Faisal, a 20-year-old winger from Ghana, the invitation to move to Brazil to play soccer “was a dream.” “I believed when I came here, it would help me change the life of my family and many other people,” he said in Sao Paulo. For the past year and a half, he has been playing on the under-20s squad for Sao Paulo FC, one of South America’s most prominent clubs. He and a small number of other Africans are tearing across pitches in a country known as the biggest producer and exporter of soccer stars in the world, from Pele to Neymar. For
Coco Gauff of the US on Friday defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to set up a showdown with Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the final of the WTA Finals, while in the doubles, Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching was eliminated. Gauff generated six break points to Belarusian Sabalenka’s four and built on early momentum in the opening set’s tiebreak that she carried through to the second set. She is the youngest player at 20 to make the final at the WTA Finals since Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in 2010. Zheng earlier defeated Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-5 to book
RSS