A big VAR call went against England in the first-half of their World Cup quarter-final clash against France – and there's serious debate on social media about the decision.
After a cagey opening 10 minutes, Olivier Giroud was handed the first opportunity of the night, but his header was comfortably saved by Jordan Pickford.
France, who have recorded wins against Poland, Denmark and Australia on their way to the quarter-finals, continued to cause problems, especially down that right flank, where Griezmann and Dembele appeared to target Luke Shaw.
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Didier Deschamps' side were on top early on and in the 16th minute, after some great play from the reigning champions, Aurelien Tchouameni scored his first ever competitive goal for France to give them a deserved 1-0 lead.
Didier Deschamps' side continued to cause problems in the final third but with 24 minutes played, many thought referee Wilton Sampaio was going to give England a penalty after Dayot Upamecano appeared to foul Harry Kane.
The incident soon went to VAR at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, but Sampaio waved away the call and play resumed.
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Was it a penalty? Former England defender Stuart Pearce certainly thinks so. “That’s a penalty," he told talkSPORT. "He’s dangling his leg through Kane’s and there’s enough contact there.”
He added: “Just looking at the Harry Kane moment. Upamecano was all over the place as Kane spun him. We have to ask questions and keep landing one on their chin.”
At the half-time break, both Ian Wright and Roy Keane agreed that it should have been a penalty. Here's how social media reacted to the decision.
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One said: "After a long VAR check no penalty for England... looked a foul on Kane but possibly outside?" while another commented: "Clear foul on Saka. No foul given. France score. Clear foul on Kane. No penalty given. What a shambles. England are playing against 13 men."
A third wrote: "You know the thing I’m dreading the most? If England go out against France 1-0, commentators / pundits will be going on about the Saka foul and the Harry Kane no penalty decision for *years*."
Ahead of kick-off, England boss Gareth Southgate admitted France are the biggest threat at this winter's tournament.
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"They're world champions with an incredible depth of talent and outstanding individual players," he said. "They're very difficult to play against and score goals against, so it's a fantastic challenge and a brilliant game to prepare for.
"The two quarter-finals that are already in place are historic rivalries. It's a great game to be involved with and to test ourselves against the very best."
He also mentioned their all-time top goalscorer, Olivier Giroud, and Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann ahead of Kylian Mbappe.
"I think [Antoine] Griezmann now has over 70 consecutive games for France and I think he's also a phenomenal player," he said.
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"We know Olivier Giroud so well and they also have outstanding young midfield players. Everywhere you look, when we're studying France at every age group, they have incredible depth of talent at every position."
Didier Deschamps claimed England do not have any weaknesses ahead of the game.
"They don't have any. All teams have strengths, not all have many weaknesses, but slightly less strong points," he said.
"England have seen us play four games. At the end of the day, you need to identify areas where you think you can attack them.
“Pace is often one of the keys to the match. When quick, the opponent has less time to be organised. You need more than just pace to score goals. You can stop a lot of things but it's very difficult to stop someone who is very quick, especially in transitions.
"England team very strong in that area though and scored lots of goals with quick counter-attacks. They also have many other qualities in terms of technical ability, capacity to score goals and being dangerous on set pieces.
"It's not by chance they are facing us in the quarter-finals."
Featured Image Credit: ITV SportTopics: France, England, Football World Cup, Harry Kane
