GIROUD IS DECISIVE AND KEEPS FRANCE'S DREAM ALIVE

Always Oli. It was Giroud's fourth goal at Qatar 2022 that helped France beat England 2-1 to reach the semi-finals on Wednesday 14 December. The Rossoneri's number 9's 53rd goal for the national team sealed the win for Deschamps' side in the 78th minute after Kane's penalty had equalised Tchouaméni's early lead. It was also Giroud's fifth career goal at the World Cup, joining Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane in fourth place on the list of France's top scorers in the competition.

On a night at the Al-Bayt Stadium, Giroud also made the most touches in the opponent's box (six): Oli celebrates reaching the semi-final alongside Theo Hernández, who was also on the pitch throughout the match. The Rossoneri's full-back put in a great performance - with only one mistake, the foul on Mount that caused England's second penalty, later missed by Kane - shown by the number of chances he created (two, only Jordan Henderson with three did better), the number of duels won (seven) and the number of players beaten (three), the latter two figures being France's best.

However, the chance of Rossoneri-based derby in the semi-finals faded: France will face Morocco, who beat Portugal 1-0 thanks to En-Nesyri's goal in the 42nd minute. It was Rafael Leão's fifth appearance at the World Cup - all from the bench - as he came on in the 69th minute and was the star of the Portuguese comeback attempted on that afternoon at the Al Thumama Stadium. The Rossoneri's number 17, in fact, completed the most dribbles (three).

Leão ends the first World Cup of his career with two goals scored (against Ghana and Switzerland) and two important statistical highlights: Rafa has recorded the most positive dribbles (six) among subtitutes, and only the Canadian Ismaël Koné (34) has made more carries (minimum 5 metres) than Leão (30) among players who came on as a sub.

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