The duel between France and England, in the quarter-finals of the Soccer World Cup, is one that promises to be exciting. And the Three Lions are lucid as this clash approaches: they will not claim victory unless they muzzle Kylian Mbappé.
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The brilliant French striker has threaded the needle five times in four games since the start of the competition. In search of a second consecutive title with the Blues, Mbappé sent Poland on vacation, in the round of 16, by scoring twice in a 3-1 victory.
Former England international John Terry built his fame by smothering explosive players like Mbappé from 2002 to 2018. According to him, his compatriot Kyle Walker, dynamic right-back, will know how to stop the one who will celebrate his 24th birthday on Tuesday.
“If there is anyone capable of stopping Mbappé, it is Kyle Walker, estimated the 42-year-old man, according to AFP. He has already faced it with Manchester City against Paris Saint-Germain, they know each other very well. In sheer speed, Kyle Walker is arguably the fastest player in the Premier League. Defensively, he is also very strong. It’s good for us to have him in this position, completely recovered.
The English will however have a trap to avoid, in the words of Terry: forget the other offensive weapons of the Hexagon.
“Mbappé is a serious threat, he is clearly one of the best players in the world, he continued. But there are also other strengths in their team. My only concern is this: that we focus too much on Mbappé. Next, you have [Olivier] Giroud, a big threat, [Antoine] Griezmann and the others… There are going to be several key duels.
A rivalry
England have not suffered defeat since the start of the tournament and easily triumphed against a much less fortunate opponent, Senegal, in the round of 16.
The duel against France will thus be the first of the English against a nation of the top 15 of FIFA since the start of the World Cup. Emotion will be predominant in this face-to-face, the two countries maintaining a historic rivalry.
“Yes, it’s a special match, concluded Terry. The players know each other, they compete during the season in Europe, even in the Premier League. There will be respect, but it will be war.”
The last important match between the English and the French dates back to Euro 2004. During this duel in the group stage, the Blues won 2-1 thanks to a double from Zinédine Zidane.
Saturday’s quarter-final match will also be the first knockout game between these two teams.
– With AFP