Skip to main content
Published 10 December 2022 5 min read
England Men's Senior Team

England 1-2 France - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 match report

Written by:

Oli Dickson Jefford

  • H. Kane (54′PEN)
  • H. Maguire (90′)
  • H. Kane (84′ MISSED PEN)
FULL TIME
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Quarter-Final
Saturday 10 December, 07:00 PM Al Bayt Stadium
1 2
HT: 0 - 1
  • A. Tchouaméni (17′)
  • O. Giroud (78′)
  • A. Griezmann (43′)
  • O. Dembélé (46′)
  • T. Hernández (82′)

England's World Cup dreams ended as Les Bleus edge quarter-final tie in Doha

10 Dec 2022 4:38

Highlights: England 1-2 France


Watch the best of the action from the FIFA World Cup quarter-final in Doha

Gareth Southgate watches on at Al-Wakrah as his squad prepare for their World Cup quarter-final against France
Gareth Southgate watches on at Al-Wakrah as his squad prepare for their World Cup quarter-final against France

France v England
FIFA World Cup, Qatar 2022
Quarter-Final
7pm GMT, Saturday 10 December 2022
Live on ITV in the UK
Al Bayt Stadium, Doha


England versus France line-ups

Gareth Southgate has named an unchanged line-up for England's 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final with France.

The Three Lions welcome Raheem Sterling back into the squad as the forward becomes one of a number of exciting options from the bench.


Southgate says his team are excited by the opportunity to take on France in the World Cup quarter-final in Qatar.


The Three Lions take on Les Bleus at the now familiar territory of the Al Bayt Stadium in Doha, after earning their place in the last eight with their round-of-16 victory over Senegal last weekend.

And after almost a week of training ahead of Saturday’s clash with Didier Deschamps’ side, the England manager is anticipating a high-level encounter against the current world champions.

“Obviously in the tournament, as you get towards the latter stages, you're taking on the better teams with better individual players, harder to break down, different problems to deal with defensively,” he said.


“They're an outstanding team, they're world champions and you've got to expect at the quarter-final stage that you're going to play a top team.

“We’ve got huge respect for a team that have been European Championship runners-up, World Cup winners, huge experience with Didier and among the playing staff as well so we recognise the size of the task.

“If you'd said to me four years ago that we're playing France, I'd have said ‘oh, okay, maybe we can compete.’

“But we didn't have as many big nights and so much experience behind us, so now it's game on and it's a fantastic quarter-final for everybody to watch.

“And equally, we’re excited by the opportunity. I think all the attributes are there on the pitch to create a fantastic night and I think that's the same across all the quarter-finals.

“I think there’s some really thrilling matchups across the board so we’re looking forward to the game and it's a brilliant one for us to prepare for.”

Southgate’s team emerged from the group stages with a record of one the best teams in the competition and built on that in their first knockout game against the AFCON champions Senegal last Sunday.
 
And he’s now looking to take some of the aspects of that performance into Saturday’s game against another nation who have impressed so far.
 
“I think the fact that without the ball we were exceptional, we made it very difficult for the opposition to gain any momentum really,” he added.

“I liked our ruthlessness with the ball and our counterattacking was particularly good. It was a difficult game that we made look fairly uncomplicated after the opening 20 minutes.

“You're never going to dominate a game at this stage of a World Cup for the entire 90 minutes.

“There are some things that we can be better at, but in general there were a lot of positives to take from the game.

“Mindset is everything in elite sport and to win you've got to have a certain mentality.

“You've got to respond well to the setbacks that inevitably happen in life but you've really got to be prepared to take the ball, compete with opponents at whatever level of the game, and I guess that's one of the challenges we've had with the team.

“Six years ago when we started, confidence was low - we could talk a lot about competing at the highest level but we didn't really have evidence of doing it. Now we've got a lot more experience of those big games.

“This is our third quarter-final in three tournaments, so the players are relishing that challenge and not thinking that this is a bonus to still be here, we're wanting to be here for another week.” 
Harry Kane in action against France and Raphael Varane during our most recent game in June 2017
Harry Kane in action against France and Raphael Varane during our most recent game in June 2017

France in profile


Coach:
Didier Deschamps
Qualified from: UEFA European Qualifiers  
Qualifying top scorer: Kylian Mbappe
FIFA World Cup best performance: Winners 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup
Last encounter: France 3-2 England, 13 June 2017

 

France's form guide 

Les Bleus earned their place in the quarter-final after a steady 3-1 victory over Poland after finishing in top spot of Group D. During the group stage, they opened up with a victory over Australia and then saw off Denmark to secure their progress to the knockout stages. But there was a surprise in the last round of games, as they were beaten 1-0 by Tunisia. 

Previous World Cup encounters between England and France

England and France have only met on two occasions in the World Cup, with the first game coming in 1966 when the nations met in the group stage games in front of over 98,000 fans at Wembley. A goal in each half from Roger Hunt was enough to secure the win for Sir Alf Ramsey's men on that occasion, helping to set the way for England's finest hour later in the tournament.

The other game came at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, when they teams were again paired in the group stages and again England ran out as victors. A goal from Bryan Robson after just 27 seconds of the game kicked things off, before Gerard Soler equalised for France. The second half belonged to Ron Greenwood's team, as Robson added his second of the game after 67 minutes and Paul Marriner made it 3-1 in the last ten minutes.

05 Dec 2022 4:21

Highlights: England 2-0 France


The best of the action from Wembley in 2015 for what was England's last victory over Les Bleus

Opta match facts

● This will be the third World Cup meeting between England and France, with the Three Lions winning both of the previous two, a 2-0 victory in 1966 and 3-1 in 1982, both in the group stage.

● France have only lost one of their last eight meetings with England across all competitions (W5 D2), a 2-0 defeat in a friendly in November 2015. This is the two nations’ first encounter since June 2017, when Les Bleus won a friendly 3-2.

● England have been eliminated from six of their last eight World Cup knockout matches against fellow European nations. By contrast, France have progressed from eight of their last ten World Cup knockout matches against European opposition (includes third-place play-off and final).

● France will be the first reigning champions to participate in the quarter-final of the World Cup since Brazil in 2006. France have won three games at the 2022 World Cup so far, while that Brazil team from 2006 (4) are the only reigning champions to have won more in a single tournament this century.

● Gareth Southgate is looking to become the first England manager to guide the nation to two World Cup semi-finals, having reached the final four in 2018. The Three Lions’ only other two semi-final appearances at the finals came under Alf Ramsey in 1966 and Bobby Robson in 1990.

● England are looking to win three consecutive World Cup matches for the first time since 1990, when the third such match came in the quarter-final. The Three Lions have won three of their four matches at this year’s World Cup (D1); they have only won more at a single edition of the tournament in 1966 when winning the title (five).

● France are unbeaten in the 13 games in which Kylian Mbappé has started in the World Cup and European Championships combined (W10 D3), winning all nine in which he has started at the World Cup. The Frenchman has been directly involved in 12 goals in these 13 starts, scoring nine and making three assists.

● England have scored 12 goals in their four games at the 2022 World Cup, their joint-most at a single major tournament (World Cup/EUROs), having also scored 12 at the 2018 World Cup. These 12 goals have been scored by eight different players, the nation’s outright most ever number of scorers at a single edition of a major tournament (excl. own goals).

● Harry Kane has scored 52 goals for England in all competitions, just one short of Wayne Rooney’s all-time record for the nation (53). Of those 52 goals, eleven have been scored in major tournaments (7 World Cup, 4 Euros), a record for the Three Lions, ahead of Gary Lineker (ten, all at World Cup).

● Olivier Giroud has scored three goals for France at the 2022 World Cup, with only Kylian Mbappé netting more for Les Bleus (5). The only player aged 36+ to score more than three times in a single World Cup tournament was Roger Milla for Cameroon in 1990 (four goals at the age of 38).

England's Bryan Robson scores against France after 27 seconds of the game in Bilbao at the 1982 World Cup
England's Bryan Robson scores against France after 27 seconds of the game in Bilbao at the 1982 World Cup

Head-to-head v France

 

This will be the first meeting since June 2017, when the sides met at the Stade de France in Paris and the host nation ran out 3-2 winners in an entertaining match.

Overall, England's record against France has seen 31 games with 19 wins for the Three Lions, seven draws and nine defeats.

Our last victory against France came in November 2015 when the sides met in a friendly game at Wembley just days after a terrorist attack in Paris. Over 70,000 fans joined both teams in performing the French national anthem before the match, after which goals from Dele Alli and Wayne Rooney sealed a 2-0 win for Roy Hodgson's team.


04 Dec 2022 5:39

Highlights: France 3-2 England


Relive our last meeting with Les Bleus from back in 2017

England Squad News

England were missing both Ben White and Raheem Sterling from the group who played Senegal in the round of 16, with both players missing for personal reasons. Sterling will return to Qatar to rejoin the squad on Friday ahead of this game.

View England's World Cup squad.
 
Sign up to My England Football for updates on squad announcements in addition to a host of other benefits including discounts and ticket eligibility. 
 

Ticket Information


Tickets for all 2022 World Cup games 
can be purchased directly from FIFA. For tickets within the assigned England section of games, join the England Supporters Travel Club with members also receiving priority access to home match tickets and eligibility for away tickets. Members of My England Football also receive priority access for home tickets.

How to watch or stream


This game will be shown live on ITV in the UK. 

See the team line-ups and follow our in-game stats and live commentary.

Match Line Up

England's players react to their World Cup quarter-final defeat
England's players react to their World Cup quarter-final defeat

England’s 2022 World Cup campaign came to a crushing end, after a 2-1 loss to France in Saturday’s quarter-final in Doha.

Gareth Southgate's team will now head home from Qatar, while Didier Deschamps' men will head into the last four of the competition aiming to retain their title following on from their victory in 2018.

The Three Lions will be left disappointed at the way in which their campaign was ended, after approaching this World Cup with the intention of going further and will ultimately be able to reflect on what was a good team performance against the current world champions.

But it was a tale of two penalties for England on this occasion, with captain Harry Kane becoming his country's joint-top goalscorer with a successful spot-kick to make it 1-1 before unfortunately missing the target and a chance to equalise for a second time in the later stages.

Prior to that though, France edged ahead in a competitive first half, with Aurélien Tchouameni putting Les Bleus ahead in the 17th minute with a strong strike from 25 yards out.

England had started brightly too, with Phil Foden’s early shot blocked by Jules Koundé and Luke Shaw’s free-kick needing to be headed away by Dayot Upamecano.

However France also looked dangerous early on, with several teasing balls from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, and they had the first clear chance of the contest 12 minutes in.

Olivier Giroud received the ball 12 yards out from a Dembélé cross but was only able to guide his header into the hands of Jordan Pickford.

And just five minutes later, the French took the lead thanks to Tchouameni’s superb strike.

After Upamecano won the ball from Saka, which England felt should've been a free-kick, he sent his side away on a counter attack. When the Real Madrid midfielder received the ball from Antoine Griezmann,  his low, powerful strike went through the legs of Jude Bellingham and past the outstretched glove of Pickford before nestling in the bottom corner.

A strong response came, with Kane cutting inside Upamecano and forcing a superb save from Hugo Lloris, with the French eventually clearing their lines.

There was also a VAR check for a potential penalty after Kane went down under pressure from Upamecano, though the on-field decision to not award it stood.
Harry Kane on the run in the first half as England looked to find a breakthrough
Harry Kane on the run in the first half as England looked to find a breakthrough
England’s captain tested his clubmate Lloris again shortly afterwards but France defended resolutely for the rest of the half, and Mbappé missed a chance to score their second when he shot over from a well-worked free-kick.

After the break, England made a strong start to the second half with Bellingham nearly equalising with a fizzing volley that forced a strong save from Lloris to tip the midfielder's howitzer over the bar.

The tempo continued and moments later, England were handed a chance to level up proceedings when Bukayo Saka was brought down in the box and a penalty was awarded.

Kane made no mistake from the spot, sending his Tottenham Hotspur teammate Lloris the wrong way for a record-equalling 53rd goal for his country.

The strike seemed to open the game up and France were nearly back in front immediately, though Adrien Rabiot’s strike from 25 yards was palmed away by Pickford.
Mason Mount is floored by Theo Hernandez to earn England's second penalty of the night
Mason Mount is floored by Theo Hernandez to earn England's second penalty of the night
England’s captain tested his clubmate Lloris again shortly afterwards but France defended resolutely for the rest of the half, and Mbappé missed a chance to score their second when he shot over from a well-worked free-kick.

After the break, England made a strong start to the second half with Bellingham nearly equalising with a fizzing volley that forced a strong save from Lloris to tip the midfielder's howitzer over the bar.

The tempo continued and moments later, England were handed a chance to level up proceedings when Bukayo Saka was brought down in the box and a penalty was awarded.

Kane made no mistake from the spot, sending his Tottenham Hotspur teammate Lloris the wrong way for a record-equalling 53rd goal for his country.

The strike seemed to open the game up and France were nearly back in front immediately, though Adrien Rabiot’s strike from 25 yards was palmed away by Pickford.

Match Line Up

England’ continued to probe and saw half chances go begging as Lloris saved efforts from Kane and Bellingham, before their best chance to take the lead came from Harry Maguire, with his header grazing the outside of the post from Jordan Henderson’s free-kick.

But France found a way back and after Giroud came close with just 15 minutes to go, when his volley was blocked defiantly by Pickford, France’s leading men's goalscorer struck shortly after.

From Griezmann’s brilliant cross from the left, he directed a strong header past Pickford to put his side back in front with just over ten minutes to go.

There was still time for another twist, as instantly after coming on, Mason Mount won England a second penalty after Théo Hernandez barged him over in the box and was eventually cautioned for fouling the midfielder after a VAR check.

However, Kane put his spot kick over the bar and France were able to breathe again before England looked to finish strongly.

With both Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford added to the attack, Southgate's men pushed France all the way but just couldn't find a breakthrough with Rashford's late free-kick flying narrowly over the bar proving to be the last chance of the game.

England: 1. Jordan Pickford (Everton), 2. Kyle Walker (Manchester City), 5. John Stones (Manchester City), 6. Harry Maguire (Manchester United), 3. Luke Shaw (Manchester United), 8. Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), 4. Declan Rice (West Ham), 22. Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), 17. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), 9. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), 20. Phil Foden (Manchester City)

Substitutes: 10. Raheem Sterling (Chelsea) for Saka 79’, 19. Mason Mount (Chelsea) for Henderson 79’, 11. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) for Foden 85’, 7. Jack Grealish (Manchester City) for Stones 90+8'

Substitutes not used: 12. Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), 13. Nick Pope (Newcastle United), 14. Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), 15. Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), 16. Conor Coady (Everton, on loan from Wolves), 18. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), 23. Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), 24. Callum Wilson (Newcastle United), 25. James Maddison (Leicester City), 26. Conor Gallagher (Chelsea)

Cautions: Maguire 90’

Goals: Kane 54 (p)’

France: 1. Hugo Lloris, 5. Jules Koundé, 4. Raphael Varane, 18. Dayot Upamecano, 22. Théo Hernandez, 8. Aurélien Tchouameni, 14. Adrien Rabiot, 11. Ousmane Dembélé, 7. Antoine Griezmann, 10. Kylian Mbappé, 9. Olivier Giroud

Substitutes: 20. Kingsley Coman for Dembélé 79’

Substitutes not used: 2. Benjamin Pavard, 3. Axel Disasi, 6. Matteo Guendouzi, 12. Randal Kolo Muani, 13. Wesley Fofana, 15. Jordan Veretout, 16. Steve Mandanda, 17. William Saliba, 23. Alphonse Areola, 24. Ibrahima Konaté, 25. Eduardo Camavinga, 26. Marcus Thuram

Goals: Tchouameni 17’, Giroud 78’

Cautions: Griezmann 43’ Dembele 47’, Hernandez 82’
-->