French stars dominate WC Team of the Semi-Finals

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FourFourTwoSA selects the World Cup team of round the semi-finals as the French stars shine brightest, writes DEAN WORKMAN.

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris (France)

The French captain may not have been extremely busy against Belgium but when he was called upon he produced a magical save to keep his clean sheet intact. Lloris exuded an air of confidence throughout the game, which spread to his defenders as they held on for the 1-0 win that sent them into the World Cup final.

READ: Croatia make history to advance to World Cup final

Right back: Kieran Trippier (England)

The Tottenham Hotspur man has been a revelation for England at the World Cup and he continued this fine form with yet another accomplished display against Croatia. Trippier gave the Three Lions an early lead with an exquisite free-kick which flew into the top corner of the Croatian net. The fullback ran himself into the ground and was unlucky to be on the losing side.

Centre back: Samuel Umtiti (France)

The Barcelona defender has formed a solid partnership with Raphael Varane at the heart of the French defence and just edged his teammate into the team of the semi-finals because of his match-winning goal. Umtiti rose highest to head the ball past Thibaut Courtois at the beginning of the second half and then managed to keep the dangerous Belgium strike force at bay.

Centre back: Vincent Kompany (Belgium)

The veteran defender put in a brilliant display in a losing cause against France. Kompany put his body on the line, producing a number of top-class blocks to keep his side in the game.

Left back: Lucas Hernandez (France)

The Atletico Madrid defender may not have been the first choice left-back heading into the tournament, but he has certainly cemented his spot in it now. Hernandez added to his fine displays with yet another impressive performance against Belgium. The defender was solid in defence while also offering a threat going forward in his teams’ victory.

Centre midfield: Paul Pogba (France)

The Manchester United midfielder put in a stellar midfield performance as he combined with N’Golo Kante to dominate the midfield battle against Belgium. Pogba broke down play efficiently while also offering a threat going forward.

READ: Lloris wants France to learn from Euro 2016 heartbreak

Centre midfield: N’Golo Kante (France)

The Frenchman produced the type of quality performance that has seen him gain a massive reputation as one of the world’s foremost defensive midfielder. Kante, along with his midfield partners, managed to starve the Belgium attack of the ball and attacking spaces, which ultimately helped keep Hazard and Co at bay.

Right-wing: Kylian Mbappe (France)

The Paris Saint-Germain starlet produced yet another electric display as his team edged past Belgium to reach the World Cup final. Mbappe’s pace and skill threatened throughout as the Belgian defence struggled to contain him and on another day he could have easily grabbed a goal and an assist.

Attacking midfield: Eden Hazard (Belgium)

The Belgium captain looked to drag his team through to the final with a top-class performance against France. Hazard offered a guile and cutting edge to the Belgian attack as he was proving difficult to handle, particularly in the opening stages of the encounter. But try as he might, Hazard just couldn’t pick the French lock as his team crashed out of the tournament.

READ MORE: England 1 Croatia 2 (AET): Five big talking points from Moscow

Left wing: Ivan Perisic (Croatia)

The Inter Milan man was one of the stars of the show as he helped guide Croatia to their first ever World Cup final. Perisic was a constant threat for his side, whipping in some dangerous crosses, and then getting on the end of one to equalise for Croatia in the second half. The winger almost grabbed himself a brace and the winner but he saw his second-half strike bounce back off the inside of the post.

Striker: Mario Mandzukic (Croatia)

The striker put in a first-rate performance as he scored the winning goal in extra-time to seal his team’s spot in the World Cup final. Mandzukic worked tirelessly throughout the campaign and was a constant annoyance for the English defence as his power and determination was difficult to handle. The strikers golden moment arrived late in extra-time when he reacted quicker than the English defence to a ball over the top and then calmly slotting his shot past Jordan Pickford to send his nation into raptures.

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Dean Workman