England fall short again, Ronaldo in tears and Morocco make history: Five takeaways from day 21 of World Cup 2022
All four semi-finalists for Qatar 2022 are now confirmed after day 21 of the World Cup. A look at the major talking points here...
Both World Cup 2022 semi-finals are now confirmed, following another shock and more excitement in Qatar on Saturday.
Morocco are through to the last four after edging out Portugal and the Atlas Lions were followed by defending champions France, 2-1 winners over England later on Saturday.
Here are the five main takeaways FourFourTwo has learned over the course of another incredible day of World Cup action.
England fall short again – the end for Southgate?
England played pretty well and Harry Kane missed a penalty which would have taken their World Cup quarter-final against France to extra time, but ultimately the Three Lions have fallen short once again under Gareth Southgate.
There was optimism following England's impressive dismantling of Iran in their opening match and a school of thought that, having missed out narrowly at Russia 2018 and again at Euro 2020 last year, perhaps this was their time.
Southgate has taken England far since the debacle of Euro 2016 and the short-lived tenure of Sam Allardyce, unifying the squad and achieving impressive results in major tournaments. But it was not quite enough to win a trophy.
The team's record against big nations has come under scrutiny and defeat this time – albeit with a tough draw for a quarter-final – has arrived earlier than in previous tournaments. It feels like the end for Southgate as England manager.
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France more than just Mbappe
Much of the pre-match talk before the World Cup quarter-final between England and France centred on how the Three Lions would stop Les Bleus' star man, Kylian Mbappe.
With the pace of Kyle Walker and midfielder's doubling up, England did that pretty well on the night. The only problem was that it allowed other players to shine.
Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni had time and space to hit his superb opening goal from distance. He was found by Antoine Griezmann, selfless and excellent again here, and the Atletico Madrid man also set up Olivier Giroud for the winner.
France were shaky at the back, but have quality in abundance further forward and on Saturday night's evidence, stopping Mbappe is no guarantee of success against Les Bleus.
Morocco make history
Morocco have become the first African and Arab nation to reach the semi-final of a World Cup. Their 1-0 victory over Euro 2016 winners Portugal is their third win over a major European side, having already felled World Cup 2018's third-placed Belgium and World Cup 2010 winners Spain.
They had already bettered their own best World Cup finish, as well as getting further than any team managed by an African national had previously done.
Could they go even further? No one can write them off now.
Cristiano Ronaldo departs his final World Cup
So, there will be no Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi World Cup final (though that may not be such a bad thing).
Ronaldo, now 37, departed what will surely be his last World Cup game in tears. He began the game as a substitute, again, only coming on in the second half with his country already 1-0 down.
While a theme of his later career has been flashes of genius that can change a game, he never looked like he was going to make a difference here.
Currently without a contract, his next club is not likely to be in a top league (or at least not at a top club in one), and he finishes 2022 knowing that the World Cup is the one major trophy he'll never lift.
Good organisation can get you further than a good attack
Portugal were going into Saturday's game on the back of a game where they'd scored six goals; Morocco had only scored four in their four games up to that point.
Now Morocco are on five – still trailing what Portugal did on Tuesday night alone – but are in the semi-finals, while Portugal are not.
Indeed, scoring goals is where the north African side struggle most. A number of chances were wasted against both Portugal and Spain, but resolute defensive performances mean that didn't matter.
In fact, they've only conceded one goal so far – an own goal against Canada when they were already 2-0 up.
It just shows you that good organisation at the back is one of the most important things when it comes to going far in a knockout tournament.
Conor Pope is the former Online Editor of FourFourTwo, overseeing all digital content. He plays football regularly, and has a large, discerning and ever-growing collection of football shirts from around the world.
He supports Blackburn Rovers and holds a season ticket with south London non-league side Dulwich Hamlet. His main football passions include Tugay, the San Siro and only using a winter ball when it snows.
- Ben HaywardWeekend editor
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