Echoes of 2018 World Cup, says French star Giroud

Giroud was a non-scoring member of the 2018 team but at 36 he is enjoying a memorable tournament in Qatar having earlier overtaken Thierry Henry to become France's all-time top scorer

Olivier Giroud continued his magnificent World Cup by scoring France's late winner in their quarter-final against England on Saturday and admitted that the holders' battling performance in adversity evoked the spirit of their triumphant 2018 run.

France are now just two games away from becoming the first team in 60 years to retain the trophy after Giroud's fourth goal of the tournament sunk an impressive England side in a titanic battle at Al Bayt Stadium.

The holders took the lead through Aurelien Tchouameni but were pegged back early in the second half and were on the ropes for long spells before Giroud headed in the decisive goal in the 78th minute to seal a 2-1 victory.

France had considerably less possession, half as many attempts on goal and got lucky late on as Harry Kane — having earlier scored from the spot — blazed an 84th-minute penalty over the bar.

And Giroud later said the game brought back memories of his team's semi-final in Russia four years ago, when they edged out Belgium 1-0 in Saint-Petersburg before going on to beat Croatia and lift the trophy.

"This match reminds me of the Belgium game in 2018, even if the scenario is a bit different because England came back and believed in their chances and pushed forward," Giroud said.

"We showed superb spirit and worked so hard for each other. It is the same spirit as in 2018 and I hope we go as far as possible because this group is capable of great things."