France booked a semi-final date with Egypt after a tense and dramatic 1-0 victory against Argentina, which came in large part due to a brilliant defensive performance from Thierry Henry’s side.
Inside a raucous Stade de Bordeaux, Les Bleus took the early lead and it came via an old Crystal Palace connection, Michael Olise’s corner was met with a brilliant header from his former club teammate, Jean-Phillippe Mateta.
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Argentina struggled to get into their rhythm as the hosts continued their rapid-quick start to the delight of their fans. Mateta almost turned provider just before the 20-minute mark, putting the ball into the box, but the Argentines just scrambled it away.
Javier Mascherano’s side’s first look at goal came via Kevin Zenón, whose left-footed shot dribbled wide from the right-hand side of the box. Giuliano Simeone missed an incredible chance to level things up in the 35th minute, firing a header miles over after the ball came to him unmarked at the back post.
Argentina’s play steadily improved as the half closed out but France were rather content to counter, with Olise, unsurprisingly, being their best outlet. Early into the second half, Manu Koné drove into the Argentinian half, finding Joris Chotard, who lost the ball with a slack touch. Argentina continued to dominate the ball, but found themselves struggling to break through the French wall of defence.
Olise thought he had doubled France’s lead with less than 10 minutes to go, turning in the box and firing home with the aid of a deflection. The goal led to manager Thierry Henry sprinting down the touchline and joining his side in their celebrations. However, Maghnes Akliouche was adjudged to have committed a foul in the build-up after a lengthy VAR check, which drew boos from the home crowd.
Argentina kept the pressure on as the game went into 10 minutes of injury time but the French rearguard was proving near-impenetrable. Even when they did get a chance, Luciano Godou blazed over like Simeone in the first half. France held out to knock out the World Champions and keep their dreams of a home victory alive.
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