IAN LADYMAN: England’s defence struggled to deal with Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann

In the end it was half a meter that made the difference. That was the leap Olivier Giroud gave Harry Maguire to meet Antoine Griezmann’s cross and send England home from this World Cup.

The header even caught an elbow to the shoulder from Maguire as he thundered past Jordan Pickford. That’s how close the race for the ball was and it perfectly reflected this game. England were up to par with France in every department, except inside the respective penalty areas. France took a risk and England did not.

There had been a lot of talk before the game about whether England would get by with midfielder Kylian Mbappe. But it was Giroud and Griezmann who worried Gareth Southgate’s defense and it was fitting that it was their combination that won this thrilling quarter-final.

Olivier Giroud scored the winning goal as France advanced to the World Cup semifinals

All the talk was about England stopping Kylian Mbappe (left) but it was match winner Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann (right) who Gareth Southgate’s defenders struggled to manage.

Griezmann provided an assist to Giroud, who stepped past Harry Maguire (left) to head in the winner.

You can’t blame England or their four-man defence. They were narrowly beaten by the defending champions and as such it’s a worthy outing.

Harry Kane’s missed penalty will be played over and over again for as long as anyone remembers what happened here. But Giroud is having a superb World Cup. After traveling through the 2018 World Cup without having a single shot on goal, he has seized the opportunity afforded by Karim Benzema’s pre-tournament injury here.

As for England, it speaks volumes about the way England had progressed in the tournament, so it felt perfectly natural for Southgate to stick with the system and formation he found before his team played Wales in their third group stage.

Seeing Southgate play four against an elite team was encouraging, but not surprising at the same time. If someone had predicted this before the World Cup started, few would have agreed.

Maguire and John Stones were once again the preferred couple on a night in which they were going to have to level up.

It was a night to test the English defensive pairing’s concentration more than anything. A very traditional centre-forward, Giroud spends so much time reaching deep to offer himself on the ball that central defenders often find themselves with no one to mark.

That’s how it was here for long periods. For all the talk about Mbappé’s rare gifts and speed, the most dangerous blue player was Griezmann.

Attacking from deeper and finding the angles to tie the game together, Griezmann was winning his 72nd consecutive cap and his value to his team was crystal clear from the start.

Playing nominally on the right side of midfield, Griezmann had license to move upfield in search of the ball and was by far the most effective player on the pitch.

Maguire and Stones were alert for danger for the most part. It was all about turning on at the right time. Maguire came out to make an important tackle on Griezmann early on and was able to turn the English defense into attack with a strong ball forward. By no means the most gifted player in possession of the ball, Maguire, however, has the nerve to try and see a pass.

France never dominated England territorially. England had large swaths of possession. At 1-1 with half an hour to go, the smart money may have been on the Southgate side. But it was the sharp and incisive nature of the world champions’ counter-attacks that worried England and they ultimately won this game.

Mbappé was a lurking threat for the most part, well managed overall by Kyle Walker and the midfielder closest to helping. The PSG speedster had a great opportunity in the first half when he fired over the crossbar as the England defense fell asleep on a short free-kick and also roasted Walker to return a fine cross shortly after Kane had equalized.

But this was a game England seemed to have in control for long periods and when the winner came it was largely against the course of the game.

However, there was a lingering fear leading up to this game. Although England had played before tonight, they had not faced a truly quality attack. As such, we wonder how they would manage with a quartet of French players employed by Barcelona, ​​Atlético Madrid, PSG and AC Milan.

In the end those fears came true. England fell apart here for world class quality. The margins were good and the journey home will now seem long.