While Morocco shocked the entire globe by reaching the World Cup semi-finals, it was business as usual for perennial contenders France who reached the final four at the expense of their rivals across the English channel.
Les Bleus managed to skip past England in a tough quarter-final encounter. Aurelien Tchouameni gave the defending champions the lead with a lovely strike, but Harry Kane equalized from the spot after the break.
Olivier Giroud then restored the French lead with a clinical header, but Theo Hernandez gifted the Three Lions another penalty kick late in the match. However, Kane bungled his second attempt well off target much 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 lineup, playing a significant role in France’s run towards the semi-final.
The 27-year-old is proud of his team’s accomplishment and has already shifted his attention towards the upcoming battle against Morocco on Wednesday.
“It was a good but difficult game to play,” said Rabiot in his post-match interview with Rai via ilBianconero.
“We left everything on the pitch. We are very happy with this victory, but we want to go to the final now.
“Let’s focus on the match against Morocco but we are proud of what we did tonight.”
