While Morocco stunned the entire world by reaching the World Cup semi-finals, it was business as usual for perennial contenders France, who made it to the final four at the expense of their cross-Channel rivals.
Les Bleus managed to get past England in a tough quarter-final encounter. Aurelien Tchouameni gave the defending champions the lead with a beautiful shot, but Harry Kane equalized from the penalty spot after the break.
Olivier Giroud then restored the French lead with a clinical header, but Theo Hernández gifted the Three Lions with another penalty kick late in the match. However, Kane missed his second try well wide to the relief of his Spurs teammate Hugo Lloris.
The match also featured a member of the Juventus squad in the form of Adrien Rabiot. The midfielder has been an integral member of Didier Deschamps’ starting line-up, playing a major role in France’s run to the semi-final.
The 27-year-old is proud of his team’s achievement and has already turned his attention to the upcoming battle against Morocco on Wednesday.
“It’s been a good game but difficult to play,” Rabiot said in his post-match interview with Rai via ilBianconero.
“We left everything on the field. We are very happy with this victory, but we want to reach the final now.
“Let’s focus on the game against Morocco, but we are proud of what we did tonight.”
