From the moment Phil Foden registered his second assist of the night for England, setting up Bukayo Saka for the third goal against Senegal, attention had turned to France in the quarter-finals.
Gareth Southgate replaced some more important players for the last half-hour against Senegal, and all post-match chat concerned France. Within that, the main question emerged of how will England stop Kylian Mbappe.
The French striker has five goals at the World Cup already, leading the Golden Boot contenders and he looked unstoppable in their last-16 win over Poland. Luckily for England, they can count upon four Manchester City players who know exactly how Mbappe can be marked out of a game.
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Poland's Matty Cash, who did admirably against Mbappe on Sunday but was still well-beaten in their personal battle, suggested that Kyle Walker will fare better in the quarter-final.
Cash said: "When he stands you up and moves he does it really well. He drops the shoulder, goes short then long. I got into a couple of races with him and I did all right. You look over your shoulder and he’s there.
“They’ve got Kyle Walker who can play right-back and he’s probably just as quick as Mbappe. He knows Mbappe is amazing but Kyle is England’s best right-back. So if anyone’s going to stop Mbappe, Kyle is the man to stop him."
If Walker lines up against Mbappe, he will be continuing a fascinating duel from City's recent Champions League clashes with Paris Saint-Germain. With four meetings in 2021, and Mbappe playing in three of them, it's clear to see City's evolution in tactics when it came to stopping dangerman Mbappe.
In the 2021 Champions League semi-final first-leg, City managed to mark Mbappe out of the game and take a 2-1 lead back from the Parc des Princes. With Mbappe roaming on both flanks, City tried to double up on the winger while also trying to keep Neymar and Angel Di Maria quiet.
In that clash, Mbappe had no shots, and his 19 passes were the fewest of any player on the pitch, as were his 29 touches. He completed just one dribble, and City allowed their full-backs to push high rather than drop deep to wait for Mbappe to attack them. With Walker assisted by John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Rodri on the right, and Joao Cancelo assisted by Ruben Dias and Ilkay Gundogan, the Blues successfully limited Mbappe's supply and closed him down quickly whenever he did get the ball.
Mbappe missed the second leg with injury, and when the sides met the next season in the group stage, PSG used him far more effectively.
Cancelo struggled more on the left as Mbappe looked to make the most of his time on the right wing. Mbappe didn't score, but beat Cancelo to cross for Idrissa Gueye to score, while he peeled off Dias on the break to play a one-two with Lionel Messi for the second goal in a 2-0 PSG win. Again, City used their fellow defenders and midfielders to support each full-back, but Mbappe was able to drift across the front line to escape the traps and notch two assists.
Fast forward to the home game at the Etihad, and City were more successful in their attempts to group-up on Mbappe, limiting him to 42 touches compared to 63 in the away loss. When PSG were breaking, Walker appeared to rely on his pace to give Mbappe space but close him down quickly and force him onto his weaker foot, although when Cancelo wasn't as quick to react from a set piece, Mbappe did fire PSG ahead.
So if City's mixed fortunes are anything to go by, Walker will be useful to combat Mbappe's pace and close him down quickly. On the opposite flank, Luke Shaw will need to be alert and make up for a lack of pace by ensuring he is positioned well at all times. Just as Rodri was utilised to restrict Mbappe's route from right to left, Declan Rice will need to be alert for England.
City played a back four in their three meetings with Mbappe in 2021, although there is a strong possibility that England could revert to a back five to account for France's attacking threats. Maybe that could help crowd Mbappe out of the game on Saturday, although Walker would likely slot into the centre leaving Keiran Trippier to be the first line of defence against Mbappe.
But if England could settle on a system where both Trippier and Walker combine to deal with Mbappe, or perhaps Trippier plays at left-back and Luke Shaw moves centrally, then there is scope for a more fluid defence to cope with Mbappe's roaming.
Whatever formation Gareth Southgate chooses, he will surely involve Walker, and rely on John Stones' experiences against PSG, too. Keep Mbappe quiet, and City's record shows they will have won half the battle.
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