Before Gareth Southgate, England winning a knockout match was cause for mass celebration, even national hysteria, but after sweeping aside Senegal last night, the country seemed to immediately turn a steely focus onto what lies ahead.
England’s reward for a 3-0 win over the African champions is a meeting with world champions France and their boy wonder, Kylian Mbappe, in a World Cup quarter-final on Saturday.
Lionel Messi remains, just about, the star attraction in Qatar but, depending on which defender you ask, the Argentine is not necessarily the most feared forward left here. That honour is surely shared with the electric Mbappe, who has already scored five goals, including a brilliant double in France’s 3-1 win over Poland yesterday.
Mbappe is a phenomenon and the form player at a second consecutive World Cup, but if England are to reach another semi-final, they must find a way to contain the 23-year-old.
For all their remarkable progress under Southgate — and last night was the manager’s sixth knockout win since 2018, the same number as the country managed between 1968 and 2016 — the fact remains that England have never beaten a heavyweight in a do-or-die game on foreign soil.
The 52-year-old has led England to wins over Colombia, Sweden, Germany, Ukraine, Denmark and now Senegal in knockout matches, but France and Mbappe promise to finally offer evidence of just how good Southgate’s side really are. Beat the holders and the country will have the right to dream.
Southgate’s defence was the bedrock of his side’s success in Russia four years ago and at last summer’s European Championship, and England have kept three consecutive clean sheets in Qatar following a shaky start in the 6-2 win over Iran. They have not, however, been tested by anyone close to Mbappe’s quality at major tournaments, and Harry Maguire’s lack of pace against the Paris Saint-Germain forward is a particular area of concern, which has already been gleefully highlighted by the French media.
Mbappe wreaked havoc down the left flank against Poland, and Southgate has the option to switch to a back-three to help contain him, with Kyle Walker able to join the centre-halves and Kieran Trippier at wing-back.
But the England manager will be reluctant to move away from the system which was so effective against Aliou Cisse’s side, and adopting a back-three would mean sacrificing a midfielder and potentially negating the impact of Jude Bellingham, who put on a magnificent display last night.
This is Southgate’s dilemma for France: focus on stopping Mbappe or force the holders to worry about England’s myriad threats?
Certainly, while Southgate prepares for Mbappe, France coach Didier Deschamps will spend the rest of the week assessing Bellingham, Harry Kane, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish and, in the event that he returns in time, Raheem Sterling.
While only three players have found the net for France here — Mbappe, Adrien Rabiot and Olivier Giroud, who last night became Les Bleus’ all-time top scorer — Kane was England’s eighth different scorer in four games (already a record at major tournaments) with their second goal against Senegal. No one is calling them boring or Southgate negative now.
The captain arrowed home England’s 11th goal in Qatar and his 11th at major finals, taking him beyond Gary Lineker as the country’s leading scorer in World Cups and European Championships.
The moment also belonged to Bellingham, who opened up Senegal with a surging run through the centre of the pitch before releasing Foden to play in Kane. It was the second time Bellingham had blown a hole in Senegal, having already burst down the left and squared for Jordan Henderson to finish first-time. The teenager ultimately felt like the difference between a potential slog and the eventual stroll.
Foden was also brilliant, involved in all three goals after crossing for Saka to deftly finish the third, making for a comfortable finale for England.
If there is a concern, it was a jittery opening half-hour, in which Senegal twice had opportunities to go in front.
Ismaila Sarr, who gave Walker a small taste of what is to come from Mbappe, blazed over from close range and Boulaye Dia forced a fine one-handed save from Jordan Pickford.
France, you suspect, will not be so wasteful if England start another game lacking zip, and Southgate’s strategy of containment, punctuated with sudden bursts of quick passing, feels like a far more significant risk against Les Bleus.
Asked about Mbappe, Southgate was quick to point out that France have quality “everywhere you look”. The same is true of England, leaving Deschamps with as much to ponder as Southgate in the days ahead.
