Senegal, who did not give the Three Lions a moment to breathe with their effective pressing, appeared to have an England team that was most likely to concede in the early going. However, the tide soon turned when 19-year-old Jude Bellingham took the game by the scruff of the neck.
Before contributing significantly to Harry Kane’s 52nd England goal just before halftime, Bellingham set up Jordan Henderson for the game’s opening goal in the 38th minute. Gareth Southgate’s decision to reintroduce Arsenal player Bukayo Saka to the team was also vindicated when the player made it three for England after 57 minutes.
Southgate was pleased to see his team show a streak of “ruthlessness” in a match where a subpar start created a familiar feeling of dread. If the runners-up from Euro 2020 can knock off the holders, a semi-final with Morocco or Portugal now awaits.
However, England has a history of losing in the quarterfinals; they were eliminated at this stage in the 1954, 1962, 1970, 1986, 2002, and 2006 tournaments, and six of their last eight World Cup exits have involved opponents from the same continent.
England is in good shape after going three games without giving up a goal at the World Cup, and Southgate may now become the first manager of the Three Lions to take his team to more than one semi-final.
But the most formidable of formidable foes is standing in their way.
Olivier Giroud’s 52nd goal was enough to propel the AC Milan forward to the top of the France charts as Les Bleus showed a clinical edge that Robert Lewandowski’s Poland had no answer for.
Giroud scored the game’s first goal, moving the 36-year-old ahead of Thierry Henry at the top of the men’s goalscoring list. Giroud then scored two more thunderous goals to end the match before a retaken Lewandowski penalty gave Poland a late consolation.
Eugenie Le Sommer currently holds the record for most goals scored in a single season in France with 86. However, Giroud’s strength and link-up play perfectly complement Mbappe’s explosiveness, so England’s defence will have their hands full in this match.
Didier Deschamps’s team has now triumphed in eight of their last 10 knockout matches against fellow UEFA nations and they have now advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup in five of the last seven editions, including each of their last three.
More recent history does not favour the Three Lions, who can only boast one win from their last eight matches against the world champions. In fact, Les Bleus are still without a clean sheet at the 2022 World Cup and have actually lost both of their previous encounters with England at the tournament in 1966 and 1982.
1×2 Betting Odds
The more time that passes in this quarterfinal, the better it will be for England, who have a wealth of attacking talent waiting to make a difference against fatigued French legs.
But Southgate’s team has struggled to get going in their last three World Cup matches, and Mbappe and Giroud will not require a second invitation to capitalise on yet another sluggish start.
England, who will up against mighty France, are the underdogs in this contest, with odds @ 3.08.
France, who will rely on their pair upfront, have the odds of making the semi-finals @ 2.54.
The chances of a stalemate, after the 90 min are played, stand @ 3.35.
Total goals over/under
The odds that the total number of goals score will be over 2.5, stands @ 2.1.
While the odds that the total number of goals will be under 2.5, stands @ 1.85.
