England 1-2 France LIVE! World Cup 2022 result, match stream, latest reaction and updates today

England vs France - LIVE!

England suffered World Cup heartbreak as France edged past them with a 2-1 victory in a dramatic World Cup quarter-final, the defending champions setting up a semi-final clash against Morocco.

Aurelien Tchouameni put Les Blues in front in the first-half, firing into the bottom corner from distance, before Harry Kane levelled things up from the spot shortly after the break after Bukayo Saka was fouled. The Three Lions looked the better team as they pushed to move in front, France offering little in attack.

But Olivier Giroud restored France’s lead with just over ten minutes, and while Kane had the chance to equalise with a second penalty, he blazed the spot-kick over the bar. It was a blow that England didn’t recover from, for all Marcus Rashford went close with a free-kick in the 100th minute, as Gareth Southgate and his side suffered more disappointment at a major tournament.

England vs France latest news

• MISSED! Kane blazes second penalty over

• GOAL! Giroud restores France’s lead

• WOODWORK! Maguire header hits the post

• GOAL! Kane equalises with penalty

• GOAL! Tchouameni fires France in front

England 1 - 2 France

Thanks for following!

23:20 , Matt Verri

Harry Kane’s missed penalty will join the annals of haunting and heartbreaking England moments - up there with Bukayo Saka last summer, Chris Waddle, Gareth Southgate and all that - but the moment was not in keeping with an impressive display in defeat.

On the eve of the World Cup quarter-final against France, Kane had urged his team-mates to have no regrets and leave everything on the pitch, but reminded them that this is football. “You can lose being the best team,” the captain had said.

That was England’s fate at Al Bayt Stadium, and Kane will now carry an enormous regret, most likely for the rest of his life.

Like Southgate himself, who lived with the pain of his missed penalty at Euro ‘96 for decades, it might be years before Kane is free from the burden.

Read Dan Kilpatrick’s full analysis

Tells the story...

23:03 , Matt Verri

Kane on penalty miss

22:59 , Matt Verri

“I’m always someone who prepares for if I get one penalty in a game, two penalties.

“I always have an idea of what I want to do. I can’t fault my preparation or anything like that, or the details.

“It was just the execution on the night. The first one was great, and the second one I just didn’t quite hit it how I wanted to.

“That’s something I’m going to have to take on the chin. It will hurt for sure. The whole game will hurt, because we had full belief in what we’re trying to achieve.

“As the captain I’ll take that, but I couldn’t be prouder of the boys.”

England hit out at referee

22:38 , Matt Verri

Speaking after the game, Harry Maguire revealed his frustration at the officiating from Brazilian Wilton Sampaio.

“I can’t really explain his performance,” Maguire told ITV.

“The amount of decisions they got wrong was actually incredible. Really poor.”

Jude Bellingham and Gary Neville both agreed, the pundit criticising the “absolute joke of a referee”.

Click here for their full comments

Into the semi-finals... again

22:24 , Matt Verri

Mbappe laughs after Kane miss

22:18 , Matt Verri

Kylian Mbappe was seen laughing at Harry Kane after his penalty miss against France.

Kane blazed a late spot-kick high over the bar as England suffered World Cup heartbreak - Mbappe was not in a particularly sympathetic mood.

The Frenchman continues to lead the Golden Boot race.

Player ratings

22:09 , Matt Verri

Bukayo Saka - 8

England’s joint-top scorer with three goals seemed to be involved in everything in the first half for both better and worse. He found himself regularly fouled, whether the referee gave it or not as he exploited the full-back weakness of France.

Ended up winning the penalty after a one-two with Bellingham. He surprisingly went off for Raheem Sterling shortly after France went ahead for the second time.

Harry Kane - 6

A tale of two penalties: the captain stepped up to score his first in the 54th minute, coolly taking his time in the build-up before sending his Tottenham team-mate Lloris the wrong way.

You felt confident that he would do the same in the 83rd minute but blazed over. His all-round game was excellent though.

Read our England ratings in full here

Nizaar Kinsella at Al Bayt Stadium

21:57 , Matt Verri

Gareth Southgate gave a speech after the match saying that he was proud of the group’s efforts in Qatar.

Southgate on England future

21:48 , Matt Verri

Gareth Southgate left his England future uncertain following the Three Lions’ World Cup quarter-final defeat to France.

Hehas a contract through to the end of Euro 2024, but quizzed after the match on whether he would remain in charge of the national side, the 52-year-old was non-committal.

“I think after every tournament we’ve sat and reviewed and reflected,” Southgate told ITV Sport.

“That needs a little bit of time to make sure that everybody makes the right decision.”

Read more on that here

Maguire speaks after defeat

21:44 , Matt Verri

Southgate’s post-match thoughts

21:35 , Matt Verri

“Our performance deserved better. Goals are decisive, but I’ve just said to the players, I don’t think they could have given any more. I think they played really well against a top team.

“There are fine margins, things at both ends that have ended up deciding the game, but the way the players have progressed as a group through this tournament has been fantastic.

“In most of the big moments we were in the right place. We had more shots on goal. But it’s a game of fine margins.”

Kane moves alongside Rooney

21:24 , Matt Verri

Kane level with Wayne Rooney now on 53 England goals, missed the chance to move to the top of the list by himself.

That record certainly won’t be on his mind right now.

Dan Kilpatrick’s post-match thoughts at Al Bayt Stadium

21:19 , Matt Verri

Henderson on Kane’s miss

21:16 , Matt Verri

“We know how many penalties Harry Kane has scored for us. He scored the first one.

“How many goals he’s contributed for us to even get here. He’ll be stronger for it in the long run, I’m sure. He’s a world-class striker and our captain. We wouldn’t be here without him.”

Devastating miss for England

21:07 , Matt Verri

Dan Kilpatrick at Al Bayt Stadium

21:04 , Matt Verri

Kane’s third penalty miss of the season but still hard to believe that.

In many ways there were unusual pressures on that penalty. Going for the record, facing his club keeper he knows so well for the second time in the match. But still, a totally unexpected miss.

FT: England 1-2 France

21:01 , Matt Verri

England are OUT of the World Cup.

Heartbreak again in a major tournament, Kane’s missed penalty the crucial moment.

The defending champions march on to face Morocco.

21:00 , Matt Verri

SO CLOSE.

It hits the roof of the net. doesn’t quite dip in time. Lloris didn’t move.

20:59 , Matt Verri

90+9 mins: Maguire fouled!

20 yards out, perfect position for a right-footer. Maybe slightly too close.

Rashford standing over it. This is it for England.

20:58 , Matt Verri

90+8 mins: Grealish on for Stones, will be a couple more minutes of action.

Now or never for them. Two minutes.

20:56 , Matt Verri

90+6 mins: Stones down and in a lot of pain, play is stopped.

Looks to be holding his ankle, he’ll receive some treatment as the French fans continue to party in the stands.

Grealish coming on.

20:54 , Matt Verri

90+4 mins: France clear it away, they’re doing a good job of seeing this out.

Sterling clips it forward towards Mount, cut out. England cannot fashion out the chance they need.

20:51 , Matt Verri

90+2 mins: Shaw flying forward on the left.

Floated into the box, Lloris flaps at it a bit. Concedes the corner under pressure from Rashford.

Bring everyone up now!

20:50 , Matt Verri

90 mins: Maguire into the book for an elbow on Griezmann, before Mount commits an unnecessary foul. Have to keep their heads.

Eight minutes added on. There’s still time.

20:47 , Matt Verri

88 mins: Mount swings in a corner from deep, Maguire wins the initial header but it’s cleared.

England looking panicked now, time ticking away. Will there be one more chance for them?

Not like that, Mount hammers an effort over the bar.

20:46 , Matt Verri

87 mins: Rashford is on for Foden.

England a bit shell-shocked after that Kane penalty miss. As reliable as anyone in the world from the spot, usually.

BLAZED OVER THE BAR!

20:44 , Matt Verri

Kane has absolutely hammered it over the bar! Astonishing.

PENALTY!

20:41 , Matt Verri

Referee over to look at the monitor. This has to be a penalty. HAS to be.

Here he comes... PENALTY ENGLAND!

Over to Kane. Again. Just a yellow for Hernandez

20:40 , Matt Verri

81 mins: England screaming for a penalty!

Hernandez just shoves Mount over in the box, not even looking at the ball. Referee not interested at all.

Here comes the VAR check.

20:39 , Matt Verri

80 mins: Sterling and Mount on, Saka and Henderson off.

England have got ten minutes, plus stoppage-time, to find themselves a goal.

GOAL! England 1-2 France | Olivier Giroud 78'

20:38 , Matt Verri

SCORES THIS TIME!

Devastating blow for England. Initial corner is cleared, comes back in though and Giroud powers a header home at the near post. It was a brilliant delivery from Griezmann.

20:37 , Matt Verri

77 mins: MASSIVE SAVE FROM PICKFORD!

Ball sent to the back post, Dembele nods it back across goal. Giroud free ten yards out, volleyed at goal and Pickford reacts really well to keep it out.

20:35 , Matt Verri

75 mins: Cross whipped in from deep into the England box, Giroud has pulled off onto Shaw. Wins the header, sends it wide. Shaw did just about enough.

Still no changes from either side, with 15 minutes to go.

Nizaar Kinsella at Al Bayt Stadium

20:33 , Matt Verri

It’s hard to work out whether Bukayo Saka’s performance is leading to him being systemically fouled or whether it is a specific tactic.

Either way, he is wreaking havoc down the right-hand side, a clear weakness for the French.

20:32 , Matt Verri

72 mins: Shaw with the low cross in, Saka flying in at the back post but Hernandez just about lashes it away.

This is a really good spell from England, most of it coming from Saka. Need to get the goal to put themselves in front while they’re on top.

20:30 , Matt Verri

70 mins: SO CLOSE!

Inches away. Henderson swings it in, Maguire free in the middle and he sends the header wide. Flicks off the outside of the post. Massive, massive chance.

20:29 , Matt Verri

69 mins: Saka down again, at long last the referee decides he has been fouled. Hernandez wrestled him to the ground - smile from the Arsenal man as he finally gets a decision.

He’s probably been England’s best player tonight.

Dan Kilpatrick at Al Bayt Stadium

20:26 , Matt Verri

England are growing increasingly frustrated with referee Wilton Sampaio after the latest robust challenge on Saka goes unpunished.

The Arsenal winger won the penalty, admittedly, but has got little else from the Brazilian this evening.

20:25 , Matt Verri

65 mins: Saka brought down on the end of the box - nothing given. Saka has not got on with this referee at all.

France then get a free-kick themselves, that doesn’t help the mood. Ball clipped in towards Giroud, he can’t get there on the stretch.

20:23 , Matt Verri

63 mins: Foden with a brilliant run, skipping away from the blue shirts. Griezmann is there again to bring him down, can’t afford many more of those - he’s already on a yellow card.

Southgate and a number of England players making that point, referee waves them away.

20:21 , Matt Verri

61 mins: Saka bursts through the middle, shot from the edge of the box is a tame one and straight at Lloris. Dembele at the other end tries his luck, Stones blocks.

Here comes Saka agin now, inside to Kane. He goes for goal with his left foot, another comfortable save for Lloris.

Dan Kilpatrick at Al Bayt Stadium

20:20 , Matt Verri

This game has developed a frantic end to end feel since the equaliser and feels like anyone’s. Mbappe won the first real footrace with Walker but England look equally dangerous in the final third.

20:19 , Matt Verri

59 mins: Game settling down a bit after that frantic spell, France have responded really well to conceding that penalty.

Southgate on the touchline pointing at his head - don’t need to be a football expert to know what he wants from his players.

20:16 , Matt Verri

57 mins: England rattled here, pressure being piled on.

Mbappe bursts past Walker on the outside, even the right-back can’t keep up with him. Gets to the byline, cuts it back. Giroud misses it, almost falls for Dembele at the back post.

Henderson in no mood to mess around, lumps it up the pitch.

20:15 , Matt Verri

55 mins: France almost take the lead again immediately!

The defence disappeared, Rabiot charging straight through the middle and goes for goal from 20 yards out. Pickford forced into a smart save.

GOAL! England 1-1 France | Harry Kane 54’

20:13 , Matt Verri

Tchouameni with the foul, definite penalty. Can Kane keep his nerve? He’s had to wait an age to take this.

KANE SCORES! SENDS LLORIS THE WRONG WAY! IT’S ALL LEVEL.

PENALTY ENGLAND!

20:12 , Matt Verri

England look really dangerous, Henderson clips it through to Saka. Drilled into the box, cleared away.

Here they come again though, Saka cuts inside and drifts into the box. Goes down... PENALTY ENGLAND!

Over to Kane.

20:10 , Matt Verri

50 mins: Henderson over to close Mbappe down, concedes the free-kick again. Not much contact there at all, midfielder looks perplexed at that decision.

Griezmann swings it in, great header from Kane at the near post to clear it away.

20:08 , Matt Verri

48 mins: Another corner, Lloris falls over as he comes out to claim.

Maguire nods it into the six-yard box, Rice can’t react in time to turn it into the empty net. Great start to the half from England.

20:07 , Matt Verri

47 mins: Dembele slides in on Bellingham, that will be a yellow card. Painful one for the England man, his ankle got caught under the winger.

Corner England, falls for Bellingham on the edge of the box. Catches it perfectly, sensational save to tip it over from Lloris!

Back underway!

20:05 , Matt Verri

Up and running for the second-half. England with 45 minutes to keep their World Cup hopes alive.

20:03 , Matt Verri

England have the stronger bench of the two sides - Rashford, Sterling, Grealish, Maddison and Mount among those waiting to be called on if necessary.

Coman, Thuram and Camavinga on the bench for France, but the defending champions certainly don’t have the same strength in depth.

That could prove to be crucial over the next 45 minutes.

Were England hard done by?

19:59 , Matt Verri

Nizaar Kinsella at Al Bayt Stadium

19:56 , Matt Verri

Maguire and Foden leading the complaints from England to referee Wilton Sampaio.

It’s safe to say they are not happy with his first-half display after he arguably cost them a penalty and didn’t stop play for a foul on Saka that led to France’s goal.

How France took the lead...

19:52 , Matt Verri

HT: England 0-1 France

19:50 , Matt Verri

Corner for England the final action of the opening period. Foden takes it, miles over everyone.

And that’s half-time, with England trailing to Tchouameni’s strike.

It’s been tight apart from that, not much in the way of clear-cut chances, but France have been ruthless. England over to the referee on their way off, not happy with a number of decisions.

Nizaar Kinsella at Al Bayt Stadium

19:46 , Matt Verri

France have not been able to get Kylian Mbappe into the game but they have found other ways to hurt England.

They have been exceptional playing out from the back and controlling the game in midfield. They seem to have that nous you get from being world champions.

19:45 , Matt Verri

45 mins: Bellingham beats Kounde and puts a low cross into the box, not enough white shirts in there though.

Upamecano flies in on Kane, that’s a great challenge. England captain didn’t bother to complain about that.

Four minutes added on.

19:43 , Matt Verri

43 mins: Griezmann with yet another tactical foul, clipping Walker’s heels as the right-back skips away from him. And that is one too many, yellow card comes out.

That’s been coming for the Frenchman, it’s fair to say.

19:41 , Matt Verri

41 mins: Patient build-up on the right from England, Saka swings it in deep. Kane nods it back across the box, nobody there to get on the end of it.

Rice looks to slide a pass through to Foden, doesn’t quite come off though.

19:39 , Matt Verri

39 mins: Henderson charges back to help out with Mbappe, ends up just bringing the Frenchman down. Free-kick.

Griezmann short to Dembele, clipped over the top to Hernandez. Pulled back to Mbappe who blazes it over the bar. Well-worked set-piece that.

19:36 , Matt Verri

36 mins: Saka tracks back well on the right, clears away the long ball that had been pinged out to that flank.

France having a better spell of possession, regaining some control after that bright period for the Three Lions.

19:33 , Matt Verri

33 mins: England lose it, here comes Mbappe. Gets away from Bellingham but Walker is there to slam the door.

The right-back has pretty much only left his own half once so far, and it led to that France goal.

Dan Kilpatrick at Al Bayt Stadium

19:32 , Matt Verri

This has been a great response to going behind from England.

In a briefing this week, assistant manager Steve Holland pointed to the way the side responded to conceding against Denmark in the Euros semi-final as a sign of their maturity. They have done similarly here.

19:29 , Matt Verri

30 mins: Kane from distance, takes a deflection and Lloris makes a really smart save! England having a great spell here, pressure is on France.

Corner whipped in by Foden, flicked on at the near post... chaos in the six-yard box and it’s scrambled away. France hanging on.

19:27 , Matt Verri

27 mins: No penalty!

Wow. It was a definite foul, and looked like the contact took place on the line. Clearly not though, on we go. England less than impressed.

Big let-off for France.

19:25 , Matt Verri

25 mins: Kane again turns away from Upamecano, this time he goes down in the box as they tangle legs. Referee waves away the appeals.

VAR checking it though - foul might just have been outside the area. Very tight.

Dan Kilpatrick at Al Bayt Stadium

19:23 , Matt Verri

It was a stunning hit by Tchouameni and the kind you right really legislate for as an opposition. But the move came from Mbappe finally escaping Walker’s clutches after the England right back had pushed forward.

That’s the danger of playing 4-3-3. If the full-backs go forward, England could be left exposed.

19:22 , Matt Verri

22 mins: Saka slides the ball through to Kane, he’s turned his man superbly and he’s in on goal. Lloris charges out and blocks the shot, comes to Henderson who lobs it up to the back post.

Bellingham jumps for it, ball doesn’t fall for a white shirt though and France hack it away.

19:20 , Matt Verri

20 mins: Here we go, Maguire and Kane have placed themselves next to the French wall.

Decent strike from Shaw, but it’s comfortable for Lloris. Pretty much straight at him.

19:19 , Matt Verri

19 mins: Pickford unable to keep it out, saw the shot late you’d imagine as it came through the bodies. Saka thought he was fouled in the lead up to that goal, too far back for VAR to check though.

This time Saka is brought down, 20 yards out. Perfect angle for the left foot of Shaw, who has placed the ball down.

GOAL! England 0-1 France | Aurelien Tchouameni 17'

19:17 , Matt Verri

This time Walker does burst forward on the right, Saka loses it and all of a sudden England are exposed.

Mbappe drives inside, Rice tries to slide in but can’t slow him down. Ball comes to Tchouameni, tries his luck from distance... AND SCORES!

Brilliant strike from outside the box, flies into the bottom corner.

19:14 , Matt Verri

14 mins: Good from Kane, all by himself as he drives forward but holds it up. England forced all the way back to Maguire though.

Almost looks like a back three at times for England, particularly in possession. Walker going nowhere at all.

Henderson loses it in midfield and France break, Mbappe swings the cross in and Dembele can’t quite catch up with it at the back post.

19:11 , Matt Verri

11 mins: All the danger for France coming down the right at the moment, Griezmann looks really sharp.

Dembele again puts the cross in, Giroud directs the header at goal but it’s straight at Pickford.

Shaw got caught out there in the build-up.

19:09 , Matt Verri

9 mins: Mbappe has already had a couple of moments where the space has opened up for him on the left, while for those playing Giroud bingo you can tick off ‘scorpion kick attempt’.

Griezmann wide to Dembele, dangerous cross fired into the box and it’s really well defended. Giroud and Mbappe were lurking.

Dan Kilpatrick at Al Bayt Stadium

19:06 , Matt Verri

France sent the ball straight up towards Kylian Mbappe from kick-off while England have already hit three long passes towards Phil Foden on the left wing, and France’s supposed weak-link Jules Kounde. A sign of things to come?

19:06 , Matt Verri

6 mins: Confident start this from England, Foden wins a free-kick as he shifts the ball past Dembele and gets brought down out on the left wing. Shaw will whip this in.

Centre-backs are up. Upamecano does well to head that away under pressure from Maguire - offside flag up anyway.

Lloris pushes his defenders up, punts the ball long. Doesn’t want his side under any unnecessary early pressure.

19:03 , Matt Verri

3 mins: Saka with space to drive into, Kane has drifted out wide and it comes to him.

Low cross into the box is blocked, but that was encouraging for England. Space opened up for them on the counter.

Now Foden turns nicely on the edge of the box, shot is charged down.

19:02 , Matt Verri

2 mins: England with the early possession, Giroud and Mbappe happy to sit off as Stones and Maguire pass it between themselves.

Shaw pushing up high on the left, Walker... is not. England have no interest in leaving themselves exposed on that side.

KICK-OFF!

19:00 , Matt Verri

We’re underway for the last of the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals!

Nizaar Kinsella at Al Bayt Stadium

18:59 , Matt Verri

Good noise from the England supporters when the players acknowledged them and during the national anthem. It seems that there’s slightly more of them than France have.

18:57 , Matt Verri

Anthems done, handshakes done. Mbappe with a big smile on his face as he sings La Marseillaise.

Time to get this quarter-final up and running!

Here we go...

18:53 , Matt Verri

Teams are in the tunnel, Tottenham duo Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris will lead them out.

A semi-final clash against Morocco is on the line tonight - England can lay down an absolutely massive marker with victory.

Nizaar Kinsella at Al Bayt Stadium

18:50 , Matt Verri

Respects have been paid to Grant Wahl who sadly passed away while covering Argentina vs Netherlands yesterday.

The US reporter’s picture has come up on the big screen and his desk has remained reserved with a photo of him placed on the table. A lovely tribute from FIFA after such terrible news for the football world.

Deschamps full of praise for Southgate

18:46 , Matt Verri

Didier Deschamps has been very complimentary towards Southgate over the last few days, believing he deserves more praise for the job he has done as England boss.

“I very much like Gareth,” Deschamps said. “We’ve met on a number of occasions. We’ve talked on a number of things. If I have understood correctly, not everyone respects him so much in his own country.

“But he had a long and distinguished career and he’s also a very good coach. He has enabled England to get some very good results over the years and I very much like him.”

Need a bit of help getting that adrenaline going?

18:42 , Matt Verri

Nizaar Kinsella at Al Bayt Stadium

18:37 , Matt Verri

Toploader have been on the pitch playing Dancing In The Moonlight ahead of kick-off. A real treat inside the 68,000-seater stadium but they had them on so early that only about 1,000 were in place to watch them.

I must say, exciting to see what the semi-final or final have in store. Robbie Williams? Oasis reunion?

Kane on Lloris battle

18:34 , Matt Verri

Harry Kane comes up against Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris tonight, the two of them knowing plenty about each other.

That relationship could be crucial should it come down to penalties, but Kane revealed in the build-up to the match that he has not taken many spot-kicks against the Frenchman.

“Surprisingly, I haven’t practised too much against Hugo, normally when I practice it would be against the second- or third-choice [Spurs] goalkeeper,” Kane said.

“The starting goalkeeper usually doesn’t join in practice the day before the game which is when I practice the majority.

“I’ve taken them before but loads and loads haven’t been taken [against Lloris]. Against any goalkeeper I have similar situations when I face England goalkeepers, I just stick to my process and routine and go through my training the day before the game and hopefully try and deliver when called upon.”

Nizaar Kinsella is in place!

18:29 , Matt Verri

And on dealing with Mbappe...

18:25 , Matt Verri

“It’s the same way that we prepare for every team,” Southgate said. “You’re looking at all the patterns of how they play, the individuals within the team. Are there specifics that need to be highlighted?

“As much as we might highlight Mbappe, we’ve got to pay due attention to Olivier Giroud and how he gets his goals, and Antoine Griezmann has played over 70 consecutive games for France. There’s a clue there in how important he is to them, I think he’s a phenomenal player.

“So if we don’t go into the detail and the specifics for those particular players in a game at this level then you’re not doing your due diligence really.”

Southgate’s pre-match thoughts

18:21 , Matt Verri

Gareth Southgate has urged his side to rise to the occasion tonight, insisting their belief and willingness to do whatever it takes against France will be crucial.

”We need men on the pitch,” he’s told ITV ahead of kick-off.

“In these big nights you need to stand up, you have go to the depths to be able to get a result. We’re playing well and got confidence, this will be a huge test of that. But it feels great to be going into this match feeling like we do.

“We hope we can give everyone at home another evening to remember.”

Giroud: Mbappe best I have played with

18:17 , Matt Verri

Olivier Giroud has unsurprisingly been full of praise for team-mate Kylian Mbappe in the build-up to this match.

“Kylian is one of the best players I have played with,” he said. “He is amazing, which is scary because he can still improve. His game, he’s very efficient. From the beginning of the competition he has been crucial for us.

“He is very decisive. He is the best striker I have played with.

“We have still not seen the best of Kylian. I hope it is going to come soon. I know my records will be broken by him. He is unbelievable.”

Southgate must be bold

18:09 , Matt Verri

When England are up against it tonight, as they surely will be at some point, can Gareth Southgate turn the tide?

Southgate’s ability to change the course of matches which are going against his side remains one of the remaining questions about the England manager ahead of this World Cup quarter-final.

In both of England’s near-misses, the semi-final defeat four years ago and the loss to Italy in the final of Euro 2020, Southgate appeared unable to affect the games when they began slipping away.

The two matches actually followed a similar pattern, with England sitting back on an early lead before conceding on the hour-mark and struggling to regain a foothold against opponents who were simply better at looking after the ball. Croatia scored an extra-time winner, Italy eventually won on penalties.

Read Dan Kilpatrick’s full piece here

England looking relaxed!

18:04 , Matt Verri

Nizaar Kinsella at Al Bayt Stadium

18:00 , Matt Verri

Rabiot could have been a Man City star

17:56 , Matt Verri

Adrien Rabiot could have been lining up against domestic team-mates tonight.

The 27-year-old spent a brief spell with Manchester City earlier in his career, before being, what the midfielder’s former agent and City scout, Philippe Kontostavlos, describes as a “calculated” move by Paris Saint-Germain, poached him from the English giants.

Rabiot starts as France take on the Three Lions at the Al Bayt Stadium but, 14 years earlier, the teenager was without a club and his dream of becoming a professional football was quickly dying.

Having been overlooked at France’s world-famous Clairefontaine youth recruitment system, his prospects looked bleak.

Read Nizaar Kinsella’s full story on his rise to the top

Both sides unchanged

17:50 , Matt Verri

The two managers keep faith in the starting XIs that got them here.

That means it’s Saka and Foden either side of Kane for England, with Henderson keeping his place in midfield. Walker the key man at right-back.

Sterling returns to the squad and is named on a strong bench, with Grealish, Rashford and Maddison among those also waiting in reserve.

It’s as expected from France too, with Kounde and Hernandez at full-back. That star-studded front four starts again, Griezmann behind Giroud with the pace of Mbappe and Dembele out wide.

France team news

17:43 , Matt Verri

Starting XI: Lloris, Kounde, Upamecano, Varane, Hernandez, Rabiot, Tchouameni, Griezmann, Dembele, Giroud, Mbappe

England team news

17:40 , Matt Verri

Starting XI: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Henderson Bellingham; Saka, Kane, Foden

Where it will be won and lost

17:39 , Matt Verri

Kylian Mbappe v Kyle Walker

Walker has dismissed the prospect of England setting up specifically to stop one man, but his box-office battle with Mbappe could well decide the outcome of the game.

Walker is one of the few defenders in the world capable of living with the pace of Mbappe. He oozes self-belief and produced a superb performance against the fleet-footed Frenchman in the Champions League last year, but is only just back fit after two months out, following groin surgery.

Read our full tactics preview here

Click here to read the full blog on The Evening Standard's website