England v France: World Cup 2022 quarter-final – live | World Cup 2022

It’s back! It’s better than ever! It’s PENNANT WATCH! It’s hard to say who’s put in the least effort here. We’ve long established the will-this-do-esque nature of England’s abomination, which surely only appeals to those who like mild cheddar and weak milky tea …

… but France’s isn’t a whole lot more interesting. Bof.

Look what you can achieve when you put in the hard yards! See? An eye-catching delight. The FA and FFF should hang their heads and take notes from the FPF’s dutiful approach to their work. Admittedly unlike the Portuguese, the FA and FFF still have teams representing them in the competition, but let’s not make results the be-all and end-all of football.

Gareth Southgate talks to ITV, and is asked whether naming an unchanged side was an easy decision. “No. It’s never simple. We’ve got strength in depth and you’re always thinking about the opponent as well. But we’ve been on a good path and I think we needed to stay on that track. Our midfield have been really important, and you can lose a player in there with some back-three systems. We feel we’ve got to get pressure on France and try to cut the supply, and we’ll get an extra player further up the pitch. We need men on the pitch. These big nights, you have to stand up, you have to go to the depths to get a result. We’re playing well, we’ve got confidence. This will be a huge test of that but it’s great to be coming into the game feeling the way we do. These nights are those when everyone remembers where they are, and we hope we can give everyone at home another brilliant evening to remember.”

England name the same XI that started the 3-0 win over Senegal. Jordan Pickford wins his 50th cap. Raheem Sterling is back on the bench, having briefly returned to England following a burglary at his home.

Defending champions France also name an unchanged side after easing past Poland 3-1. Goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris wins his 143rd cap, breaking France’s all-time record for appearances. He previously (and briefly) shared the record with Lilian Thuram (142).

The teams

That third-time-lucky rule favouring France, then. Alexandre writes: “Funnily enough, a somewhat similar French proverb is ‘jamais deux sans trois’ (never twice without thrice). In other words, something having happened twice will happen a third time. The proverbs are turning against their own countries!” Now I don’t know what to think. All we know for sure is that one pithy saying will become seriously compromised tonight.

Some happier news. Our man Jason Rodrigues was cycling through London and spotted some Morocco fans reacting much as you’d expect to their epochal win over Portugal. Click below for good vibes.

A touching tribute to Grant Wahl. Flowers have been placed in the press box in memory of the much-loved US sportswriter, who passed away at the Argentina-Netherlands match last night. Condolences to his friends and family.

We now know who England or France will face in the semi-final. Morocco have spent the last couple of hours holding Portugal at arm’s length, winning 1-0 and deservedly becoming the first African nation to make it to the last four. Walid Regragui’s groundbreaking side could have had more than Youssef En-Nesyri’s winning goal today as well. I’d hazard a guess that Gareth Southgate and Didier Deschamps, given the choice of prospective semi-final opponents, would both have plumped for Morocco … but good luck breaching that defence, and there’s plenty of counter-attacking flair in there too. So here’s the semi-final line-up as it stands …

• Tue 13: Argentina v Croatia (7pm GMT, Lusail Iconic Stadium)

• Wed 14: England/France v Morocco (7pm GMT, Al Bayt Stadium)

Feelings of anticipation and excitement mixed with very real fear? They’re perfectly natural. Go with them.

Preamble