Jude Bellingham and Harry Maguire both believe referee Wilton Sampaio was not at the level needed for a World Cup quarter-final following England's loss to France.

The Three Lions saw their quest for a third successive semi-final appearance in major tournaments brought to an end by the holders, who claimed a 2-1 win in Al Khor.

Though England controlled a tight encounter for long periods, they often found themselves pegged back by a vigorous French defence, with referee Sampaio happy to let several industrial challenges slide.

Bellingham acknowledged any official can have a tough match afterwards, but felt the Brazilian was not up to scratch for a match of such prestige.

"Anyone can have a bad game, players and referees," he told ITV. "[But] I think he wasn't where he should have been today in terms of the level for a game like this.

"There are more factors as to why we lost. This definitely isn't me putting it all on him, [as] we were the ones who played the game. But I don't think he was at the level tonight.

"I think there were a few [fouls] around the box in the first half. We are deadly at set pieces, and I think any one of those can make the difference."

France scored their opening goal on the back of a contentious no-foul call for a tackle on Bukayo Saka, while England's second penalty - which Harry Kane decisively missed - needed a VAR intervention to be awarded.

Maguire was less than impressed too, telling BBC Sport: "From minute one, there were five or six fouls not one yellow card. It's a foul for the first goal, leading up to it on Bukayo.

"I can't really go into explaining how bad his performance was. I don't want to go into too much because I'll end up getting fined.

"But even though the big decisions were wrong, he never gave us anything. Throughout the game he was really poor."

West Indies Women head coach Courtney Walsh has expressed disappointment with an overall tepid batting display in a 3-0 One Day International series loss to England Women.

After losing the first two matches by margin of 142 runs, things did not get better for the Caribbean team as England closed out the series with another dominant display in 151 run win margin on Friday.

At the crease for the series, overall, while England averaged 274, the Windies could only manage 131, producing their lowest total of in the final game, avter limping to 105.  On the back of a battling display against New Zealand Women, in September, Walsh admits that he was expecting a better performance from the team.

“I thought that it was a poor series by us.  We did not play the type of cricket that we wanted to play.  England outplayed us,” Walsh said.

“The bowling was not bad and the fielding was not bad but in all three games the batting wasn’t what we expected, wanted or were looking for,” he added.

“It was a lot of disappointment because I know we can play better cricket than that and we did not show that.”

Rashada Williams was the team’s highest scorer over the 3 matches, making a combined total 93 after scoring a half century in the first match.  The team will now turn its attention to the T20 series, which bowls off on Sunday.

Gareth Southgate will take his time to "make the correct decision" regarding his future as England manager but was encouraged by the way his young team went toe to toe with France on Saturday.

England were the better team for long periods at Al Bayt but ultimately fell short with Olivier Giroud's 78th-minute header proving to be decisive as Les Bleus clinched a 2-1 win to set up a semi-final with Morocco on Wednesday.

Southgate's contract runs until the end of the European Championship in 2024, but he will use the next few weeks to reflect on whether he wants to carry on.

He said: "Whenever I have finished these tournaments I have needed time to make the correct decision because you go through so many feelings.

"I want to make the right decision, whatever that is for the team, for England and for the Football Association. It's right to take some time to do that because I know how my feelings have fluctuated in the immediate aftermath of previous tournaments.

"It's the decision to go again, it's a lot of energy and you have to make sure you're ready for that. There are Euro qualifiers in March and there's too much in my head to think about that tonight.

"I wanted to focus on this tournament and I think we've given a really good account of ourselves. But in the end only one team wins and we've fallen just short."

Southgate led England to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia four years ago and the final of Euro 2020, yet his critics have continued to accuse him of playing in a negative manner.

That certainly wasn't the case in Qatar, with no team scoring more than England's nine goals in the group phase before a 3-0 round of 16 win over Senegal.

And against France, England played front-foot football that troubled the defending champions throughout.

Southgate added: "I think it's the best we've played against a major nation in the period I have been in charge but the scoreline is all that matters.

"They know how close they've come. They know they've pushed a top nation all the way. We had more possession, more attempts on goal…I am very proud of how they've been, not just tonight but throughout the tournament.

"We've shown a different face in terms of how we've played. We wanted to go toe to toe with the top nations, that's how we approached this tournament and we've done that. There's so much to be excited about given the age of some of the players.

"We've shown the rest of the world that English football is healthy and we have some very good players, not just for now but for the future as well."

England captain Harry Kane had the chance to take the game to extra time following Giroud's goal but blazed an 84th-minute penalty over the crossbar.

He had earlier netted from the spot to cancel out Aurelien Tchouameni's first-half opener and Southgate was quick to defend the Tottenham striker.

"He's very low but he's got nothing to reproach himself for," he said.

"We're in the position we are as a team due to his goals and his leadership over a long period of time. The result was due to 100 minutes of football and things that happened at both ends of the pitch.

"Even if the penalty goes in we've still got a lot to do to win the game. We win and lose together.

"It was difficult when you get a second penalty against a goalkeeper you know very well [Kane's Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris]. Even the best are going to miss at times, that's football.

"But there's no-one I'd rather have in that situation and if we got a penalty tomorrow I'd feel the same way.

"It's cruel for him because he will feel disappointed in himself, but he shouldn't."

Harry Kane took responsibility for England's World Cup exit after blazing a late penalty over the bar in the Three Lions' 2-1 defeat to France, saying he will "have to live with" the error.

England more than matched France during Saturday's tense quarter-final at Al Bayt Stadium, with Kane cancelling out Aurelien Tchouameni's opener from the spot after the France midfielder fouled Bukayo Saka in the area.

However, Olivier Giroud restored the holders' lead with 12 minutes remaining, and Kane was unable to score again when Theo Hernandez conceded a second penalty six minutes from time, firing over the crossbar.

The miss saw Kane squander the chance to surpass Wayne Rooney as England's all-time top goalscorer with his 54th international strike, while the Three Lions fell to their seventh World Cup quarter-final elimination – a tournament record.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the defeat, England's captain fronted up to his mistake and praised his team-mates for going toe-to-toe with the world champions.

"It's tough to take for me personally and for the team," he said. "I couldn't be prouder of the boys. We had better spells, better chances, but football comes down to small details. 

"As the captain and the one who missed the penalty, I take responsibility for that. I can't fault my preparation or the details before the game. 

"I felt confident taking it, I just didn't execute it the way I wanted to. It will be something I have to live with and take on the chin.

"The team is in a really good place and there will be highs in the future. Standing here now, we are gutted it has come to an end as we had full belief we could go all the way. We can be proud of what we've done."

Kane is the first player to both score and miss a penalty in a World Cup match (excluding shoot-outs) since Michal Bilek did so for Czechoslovakia against the United States in 1990.

He has scored more World Cup penalties than any other player (four).

The miss leaves Kane level with Rooney on 53 England goals, and the Manchester United great expressed his support for the Three Lions skipper after the loss.

"Absolutely gutted for the lads but proud of the way they've played this tournament and they should be proud," Rooney said on Twitter.

"Congratulations to Harry Kane on equalling the record, he'll be on his own soon and I couldn't think of anyone better to take over. Keep your head up Harry."

Aurelien Tchouameni warned "a group is being born" after France edged out England 2-1 to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

Les Bleus are the first reigning champions to reach the last four since Brazil in 1998, as Olivier Giroud settled a tight affair with 12 minutes remaining after a Harry Kane penalty cancelled out Tchouameni's earlier 25-yard effort at Al Bayt Stadium.

Didier Deschamps' side suffered a late scare when England were awarded a second spot-kick six minutes from time, only for Kane to blaze high over Hugo Lloris' goal.

Tchouameni told beIN SPORTS: "We are getting stronger. A group is being born, we feel good, we must continue.

"We suffered – it's the World Cup, we played a very good English team. We managed to win, we are happy."

Meanwhile, Adrien Rabiot hailed the togetherness in the France group, with Morocco up next in the last four on Wednesday.

"[I feel] pride, proud of this team, this group," the midfielder said. "There is joy. We have suffered, we have shown that we can be united and in solidarity.

"We were warned and prepared, we knew they would be committed. We responded with our weapons. It's an incredible moment. It is a moment of communion, as from the beginning, that carries us.

"More and more people are behind us and believe in it. We feel that there is something to be done. Even when we are in trouble, nothing can happen to us."

Olivier Giroud compared France's tense 2022 World Cup quarter-final win over England to their semi-final victory against Belgium four years ago.

France scraped past the Three Lions 2-1 at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday, with Giroud's deflected header ultimately the difference.

Aurelien Tchouameni had fired the world champions ahead, but England responded strongly and levelled through a Harry Kane penalty.

Gareth Southgate's side might have equalised a second time following Giroud's goal, only for Kane to fire a second spot-kick over the crossbar.

Victory sends France through to a semi-final against surprise package Morocco, with Didier Deschamps' side looking like favourites to retain their crown.

But this tie showed how hard it is to win the World Cup, with Giroud reminded of a 1-0 defeat of Belgium in Russia.

"The match tonight reminded of the match against Belgium in 2018," Giroud told a news conference. "We fought tooth and nail.

"They came back into the match, started to believe, but we showed we could be dangerous on the counter-attack.

"We were a bit lucky because Kane misses the penalty, but we gave our all and fought tooth and nail. It reminds me of the mentality of 2018. This group deserves to get there."

Giroud had equalled and then passed Thierry Henry's France goals record earlier in the finals.

"All goals are important," he added. "The fact is I went ahead of Thierry Henry with the 52nd, but this 53rd is perhaps even better.

"A minute before, I had a chance and I could have scored. I thought I might get another chance, and it was unbelievable to score."

Didier Deschamps felt the "small details and a bit of luck" went France's way as they edged past England 2-1 to secure a place in the World Cup semi-finals.

Olivier Giroud grabbed what turned out to be the winner with 12 minutes to go with England captain Harry Kane missing a second penalty of the night shortly after. His first was successful, cancelling out Aurelien Tchouameni's opener.

Deschamps, whose side now face surprise package Morocco in Wednesday's second last-four clash, was relieved to have squeezed through.

He said: "England have a very good team and what they showed in terms of technical ability and intensity, even though we put up a good fight, was impressive.

"Credit to my team as well, we also showed some very good things. We have great quality and we also have impressive mental strength. We have experience but so do England, they have some young players but they are players that play for the top clubs in Europe.

"We could see they were a good team at the outset of the tournament and it comes down to small details and luckily tonight it went our way. You need a bit of luck sometimes."

Vive la France

Into the #FIFAWorldCup semi-finals!#Qatar2022

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 10, 2022
England were the better team for long periods at Al Bayt Stadium and Deschamps preferred to focus on the strengths of France's opponents than criticise his own team for some of their failings.

"They have quality in all areas of the pitch," he added. "There were certain things we could have done better but maybe it's because they didn't let us do them well.

"We still scored two goals and created several opportunities. We deserved it but the other team were very strong."

Deschamps' contract is due to expire at the end of the tournament but the president of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Great, has expressed hope that he will continue.

Deschamps refused to go into any great detail regarding his future but did not commit to remaining at the helm of Les Bleus.

"I will be the coach for the semi-final and then we will see," he said. "We will tackle that problem when it arises. It's great that the president is happy, I am sure there are a lot of people that are happy tonight.

"Just four years after our last victory at the World Cup we are in the last four. Let's focus on Wednesday, I am not thinking about anything else at the minute."

Harry Kane "will be stronger" for having missed the penalty that saw England eliminated from the World Cup by France on Saturday.

That is the opinion of Jordan Henderson, who was substituted shortly before the Three Lions were awarded a second spot-kick in their 2-1 defeat.

Kane had scored the first to cancel out Aurelien Tchouameni's first-half goal, but his second attempt cleared the crossbar, meaning an Olivier Giroud header proved to be the winner.

No player in World Cup history has scored more spot-kicks than Kane's four, with this the first he has missed.

"We know how many penalties Harry has scored for us, how many goals he has contributed to even get us here," midfielder Henderson told ITV.

"He will be stronger for this in the future. He is a world-class striker and our captain. He will bounce back."

Henderson concluded "it wasn't our night", although he felt it could have been as England went toe-to-toe with the world champions.

"We felt good, the performances were really good, the focus and hunger has been really good," he added.

"But you have to give credit to France, who are a good team. I still feel it was there for us to win tonight."

Declan Rice gave his backing to England manager Gareth Southgate as his players took responsibility for Saturday's agonising World Cup quarter-final defeat to France.

England lost 2-1 to the world champions despite long periods in which they controlled the game at Al Bayt Stadium.

Harry Kane's penalty cancelled out Aurelien Tchouameni's opener, but a second spot-kick from the Three Lions captain sailed over the crossbar after Olivier Giroud had restored France's lead.

Rice felt England "handled the occasion well" and were undone by "two goals that you don't really see us concede".

For that reason, the midfielder felt it was unfair to place any blame at Southgate's door following another missed opportunity at a major tournament.

"I hope he stays. There's a lot of talk around that," Rice said. "I think he's been brilliant for us, and there's been a lot of criticism that's not deserved.

"He's taken us so, so far, further than what people would expect.

"Tonight, he got everything spot on. It's not on him. The tactics were spot on. We played the right way, we were aggressive, we stopped [Kylian] Mbappe – he was quiet – and it was two goals against the run of play.

"That isn't down to the manager, it's down to the players on the pitch. I really hope he stays."

Rice believed England's performance was evidence of their progress under Southgate, who is set to take some time to consider his future.

"We really believed that this year could be our year," he said. "We got to the Euros final, and we've really progressed as a team over the past few years.

"We weren't over-confident, but we were confident we could go out there tonight and beat France. That's the mentality switch England have not had over the years.

"I think we dominated the game. Other than their two goals, I don't really remember them creating much. We played some great football, and it's a game of small margins.

"We win together and we lose together; it's just obviously really hard to process it."

Harry Kane missed a late penalty as France squeezed through to the World Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 win over England.

Kane cancelled out Aurelien Tchouameni's opener with a 54th-minute penalty but could not repeat the feat with seven minutes to go, blazing high over the bar.

In between the spot-kicks, Oliver Giroud's header had given France an advantage that proved decisive as they advanced to a last-four clash with Morocco on Wednesday.

Gareth Southgate has named an unchanged England team to take on France in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final, resisting the urge to change system to combat the threat of Kylian Mbappe.

Neither England nor France showed any changes from their last-16 wins over Senegal and Poland respectively.

For Didier Deschamps' world champions, there was no surprise, but there had been debate around the potential for Southgate to revert to the back five used previously against top teams.

Having gone with a four-man defence throughout England's run to the last eight, though, Southgate kept faith with that set-up.

There had been a great deal of focus on Kyle Walker's role up against Mbappe at right-back, and both men were included from the start.

The reward for the victors at Al Bayt Stadium would be a clash against surprise semi-finalists Morocco, who defeated Portugal earlier on Saturday to become the first African or Arab side to make the last four of a World Cup.

Jack Leach says he "never thought" he would reach 100 Test wickets after bringing up a century during England's second Test against Pakistan.

The spinner crossed the mark with figures of 4-98 in Multan as the tourists forced a collapse from the hosts to bowl them all out for 202 on the second day.

Half-centuries for Ben Duckett and Harry Brook saw England reach stumps with a lead of 281, pushing them closer to a series victory on their first red-ball visit to the country since 2005.

Leach, who made his debut in 2018, has played 31 Tests for England, but remains surprised to have reached the magic milestone, given his struggles with Crohn's disease and other matters limiting his game.

"I never thought that would happen," he told Sky Sports. 

"It's crazy to think I've got 100 wickets in Test matches just because of how difficult I've found it at times.

"But then you realise there have been some good moments along the way, you do some good things. I definitely feel like I'm getting better as I play more, so that's pleasing."

Having seen Pakistan set off in pursuit of what looked like it would be a high first-innings total, Leach's spell with ball in hand was crucial to preventing fast progress and ensuring a lead for England.

"On these wickets, it's about being as patient as you can between those [sharply turning] deliveries," he added. 

"It's something I'll try to do better in the next innings, to patiently go about my work. 

"There's a bit more happening than in Rawalpindi so it is just looking to be patient and work your way through. It's really difficult.

"I think it's been a really good day for us. [We'll] look to get a few more [runs] tomorrow, then have another go at them. They [the England batters] played really, really well and put us in a good position."

England took a firm grip on the second Test in Multan despite Abrar Ahmed wrapping up a 10-wicket haul on his Pakistan debut.

Ben Duckett's second half-century of the match and another fine knock from Harry Brook put the tourists on top, leading by 281 runs at the end of day two with five second-innings wickets standing.

Pakistan began the day on 107-2 but crumbled once the third-wicket alliance between Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel came to an end. Babar was bowled for 75 by Ollie Robinson, with the team score on 142, and Shakeel soon followed for 63, fourth man down.

That wicket went to Jack Leach, with James Anderson taking a terrific catch at mid-on to give the England spinner a 100th Test scalp. It was Leach's second wicket of the innings and he went on to take 4-98 as England raced through the tail, knocking over Pakistan for 202.

Armed with a first-innings lead of 79, England had ample time to build on that advantage and set about their task knowing Abrar was the chief threat, after taking seven wickets on Friday.

He was at it again, removing three batters to become just the second Pakistan bowler to take a 10-wicket Test haul on debut and grabbing an early run-out to boot, with a direct hit removing Zak Crawley.

Crawley's opening partner Duckett made 79 before being bowled by an Abrar grubber, with Brook standing defiant on 74 at stumps as England ended the day on 202-5, with captain Ben Stokes 16 not out.

Abrar goes it alone again

He took the first seven wickets in England's first innings, before Zahid Mahmood mopped up the tail, and Abrar was the chief threat once more on Saturday. He was the only bowler to strike, ending the day with 3-81 after delivering 21 of the 49 overs in England's innings so far. The other dismissals were both run-outs.

Duckett chasing perfection

Stuart Broad, analysing for Sky Sports, described it as a "perfect day" for England. For Duckett, this tour has been a game-changer, coming six years after he last featured in the Test side.

Back-to-back fifties in this game should now fortify his position in the team. He made a century and a duck in England's win in the first Test, but this ranks as progress beyond that, as his highest aggregate runs haul in a Test to date (142). He would be unhappy with how he got out, though, so perhaps the day was not entirely "perfect".

Jordan Pickford has been practising penalties ahead of England's World Cup quarter-final against France and is more than willing to step up and take one if required.

The 28-year-old has been in inspired form for England across their four games in Qatar so far, keeping three clean sheets in a row and conceding just twice all tournament.

After finishing top of Group B and overcoming Senegal 3-0 in the last 16, the Three Lions now face a mouthwatering showdown with France at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday.

Friday's two quarter-finals went to penalties, with Croatia eliminating Brazil and Argentina defeating the Netherlands, and Pickford is prepared for England's tie to go the distance.

"You have to be ready for anything. You can't not practise them, you can't just go in and think 'I'll be alright'," Pickford said.

"I have to be prepared to take one and be prepared to save one. 

"If it comes down to it I'll step up and take one, but it's not my call. It's the manager's call and the backroom staff."

England have a chequered history when it comes to penalty shoot-outs, though Pickford has won two out of three during his time as the Three Lions' number one.

The Everton keeper saved two of the five penalties he faced in last year's Euro 2020 final against Italy, though it was not enough to prevent England falling to a 3-2 shoot-out loss.

"For me, penalty shoot-outs, I've got my same process which I do all the time," Pickford added. "In each individual penalty I'm facing, I will do the same thing. 

"I don't change my process and hopefully I go the right way and execute the save. You can do research but it's about executing your process, your dive on the night.

"They've got their process as a penalty taker, and as a goalkeeper I've got my process. It's whoever comes out on top on that individual penalty."

England have been eliminated from six of their past eight World Cup knockout matches against fellow European nations. 

By contrast, France have progressed from eight of their past 10 World Cup knockout matches against European opposition, including third-place play-offs and finals.

Football goes through phases and cycles where certain trends dictate the sport, whether that's specific formations and systems, or particular player styles.

The World Cup quarter-final between France and England will highlight one such feature of the modern game: the evolution of the striker.

What makes this clash so intriguing in that respect is the presence of three forwards who each represent a different era, with Olivier Giroud, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe likely to attract much of the pre-match focus.

And what's more, there's a strong possibility the game will be decided – or influenced at the very least – by this trio.

Giroud – The throwback

For years the narrative around Giroud has been the suggestion he's "underrated". That discussion has been exhausted to the extent we should all now agree he is simply "rated".

That shouldn't detract from how he's polarised opinion for much of his career, but for the most part this comes down to personal preferences about what a striker should offer or be.

Arsene Wenger, the man who signed Giroud for Arsenal, said it best in 2014 after the striker scored a powerful header in a 4-1 win over Newcastle United: "He is like an English [-style] centre-forward. His first goal he scored was a typical 1970s goal. You saw those headers in the seventies and eighties. You love it because you see it less now."

Fast-forward eight years and Giroud is now France's all-time leading scorer after usurping another former Arsenal star in Thierry Henry.

But as Wenger alluded to, he's almost part of a dying breed.

Since the start of Giroud's breakout season in 2011-12 when he led Montpellier to the Ligue 1 title, only five players have scored more headed goals than him (34) across the top five leagues – that accounts for 28.3 per cent of his non-penalty goals.

While 27 players (minimum 40 goals total) in that time have scored a greater proportion of their non-penalty goals with headers, only one of those – Anthony Modeste (61) – has also netted more than 50 non-headers. Giroud has 86.

This speaks to Giroud's quality as not only a seventies throwback who'll get his head on almost anything, but just generally a reliable penalty-box striker, with his exploits in Qatar a rather succinct summary.

All three of his goals have been scored in the area, and one of those – his second against Australia – was a towering header.

Let's not forget, he was maligned at Russia 2018 because some deemed him to not be a scoring threat. Granted, he ended the tournament with no goals, yet he was a regular throughout the champions' run because of the physical presence he brought working as a kind of attacking pivot.

Four years on, despite looking a likely exclusion this time around, he's thriving in the absence of Karim Benzema.

'Classic' number nines like Giroud aren't particularly fashionable these days. How many of the best developing forwards under the age of 25 come under this umbrella? Not many.

But Giroud proves this sub-genre of striker retains relevancy even if the production line is drying up.

Kane – The playmaker

Kane does share certain strengths with Giroud – after all, he is one of those five strikers to score more headers (35 to 34) in the top five leagues than Giroud over aforementioned period.

But it's fair to say he's a more rounded, refined striker, which of course tallies with the idea of he and Giroud being of different eras in essence.

Jose Mourinho may not have been hugely popular as Tottenham coach, but to his credit, he clearly played a part in Kane redefining himself somewhat.

In November 2020, Kane said: "I think [Mourinho] saw in my game that I like to drop deep so he made it clear to the others that if I do drop deep then they need to be the ones running in behind. I think that's been the real difference. It's allowed me to create space and get the ball but have an option going forward as well. But I think obviously I've still been playing as a nine as well, and I think that's the beauty of what's been working well."

Since Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino 12 months prior to those comments, Kane has averaged 0.24 assists per 90 minutes in the Premier League, double the frequency he had under the Argentinian.

His other creative metrics haven't improved quite as dramatically, with key passes only up from 1.2 to 1.4, for instance. However, his expected assists increase (0.08 per 90, to 0.13 p90) highlights how Kane's general creativity carries greater threat now. Sure, it would seem he's benefiting from good finishing by team-mates, but his playmaking influence has demonstrably grown.

Since the start of the 2019-20 season, only Mohamed Salah (747), Bruno Fernandes (641) and Jack Grealish (588) have been involved in more shot-ending sequences in the Premier League than Kane (585), with 289 of those not ending with him having the shot – no out-and-out striker has been more involved in build-up play than Kane.

He's translated that to the World Cup as well. Twelve Opta-defined "strikers" can better his 11 open-play shot-ending sequence involvements, but among them are the likes of Lionel Messi, Memphis Depay and Thomas Muller; players not always picked to lead the line.

No forwards have recorded more involvements in goal-ending sequences than Kane (four), however, with the Spurs star becoming the first England player since David Beckham in 2002 to have three assists at a single World Cup.

Another Golden Boot success might not be on the cards, but you could argue Kane is more integral to England than ever before.

Mbappe – The wide forward

While Kane and Giroud might almost be deemed old-fashioned in some regards, Mbappe represents the archetypal modern forward – and he's essentially the perfect embodiment.

While it's not just 'emerging' players who qualify here, there certainly appears to be a greater concentration of them among a particular age group. So many have similar key characteristics in that they're generally quick, good on the ball and often prefer to play off one of the flanks.

The 'wide forward' role is very much in vogue.

What makes this particularly interesting in relation to Mbappe is that his playing role was apparently a major contributing factor in his reported unhappiness at PSG earlier this season.

While he didn't explicitly confirm that, he outlined what was different between representing France and PSG, where Christophe Galtier has this season often used him as a central striker.

"I play differently for France. I am asked other things [with the national team] compared to my club," he said in September. "I have a lot more freedom here. The coach knows there is a number nine in the side like Olivier [Giroud] who can occupy defences while I walk around and go into space. In Paris, it's different – you don't have that. I am asked to play as a pivot, which is different."

That said, Mbappe's still been able to tally the seventh-most carries (259) across the top five leagues this term, and his total carry progress of 1,562.2 metres is bettered by only Gerard Deulofeu among wingers and forwards, highlighting the fact the France talisman continues to play a vital role in getting PSG up the pitch and on the front foot.

It's a similar story at the World Cup, with his 70 carries fourth behind Lionel Messi (104), Christian Pulisic and Jamal Musiala (both 75) among forwards and wingers.

Clearly, Mbappe's good enough to play either as wide forward or central striker and still thrive. But, as he said in September, it's the freedom offered by the former role that he appears to value, and it certainly doesn't seem to have diminished his effectiveness massively in the box given he's had a hand in seven goals – three more than anyone else – and leads the scoring charts with five.

Understandably, he'll be the one to watch on Saturday. But as Giroud and Kane have already shown at this tournament, you don't have to be explosive to be decisive.