World Cup 2022: Deschamps Decision That Could Have Cost France Victory

• France beat England 2-1 to proceed to the semi-final of the World Cup but it could not have happened
• Olivier Giroud scored the winner through a header while Deschamps had his replacement on the sidelines
• Marcus Thuram could have replaced Giroud if there had been a stoppage before the goal

France beat England 2-1 to proceed to the semi-final of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup despite the English being the better side on the day and will be biting themselves after Harry Kane's penalty miss.

The match was decided by fine margins and the Three Lions will feel hard done by their own luck but it was France who would thank their luck the most.

French boss Didier Deschamps had decided to substitute match winner Olivier Giroud for Marcus Thuram but while waiting for a stoppage, Giroud scored.

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Giroud's header put France in the lead with 12 minutes left in regulation time and England never recovered as another tournament outing ended in heartbreak.

Giroud lucky to stay on

The match could have gone the other way round if Giroud was actually substituted before he scored, as noted GFFN. France could have won but in another way while England could have gotten a chance.

Marcus Thuram never entered the match after Giroud scored as France leading goalscorer stayed on to complete the 90 mins as Les Bleus held on to their lead.

The former Arsenal striker extended his record to 53 but son of 1998 World Cup winner Lilian Thuram, is yet to open his France account since his debut in 2020.

Reaction to Giroud's record

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Sports Brief earlier reported on how the football world reacted to Olivier Giroud breaking Thierry Henry's record of 51 goals as France's leading goalscorer.

Giroud opened the scoring for France in the 3-1 win over Poland in the round of 16 and social media erupted in praise of the former Chelsea striker who has remained humble with his achievements throughout his career.

Fellow World Cup winner and former teammate Mesut Ozil cheekily asked his pal who taught him how to score the kind of goal he scored against another former Arsenal player Wojciech Szczesny.