Early in the second half on Sunday, a dilemma confronted England fans: Should they continue to watch the Three Lions’ destruction of Senegal, basking in the rare euphoria of an anticlimactic World Cup elimination match? Or, should they use the remaining time to complete their Sunday chores and save their rooting efforts for the delicious quarterfinal that awaits on Saturday?
That quarterfinal will feature England and France, which, allegedly, has more players than Kylian Mbappé, who seems to strain the bounds of credulity every time his boot touches the ball. The Three Lions have yet to face a forward as creative, ruthless or clinical as Mbappé — in fairness, few in Qatar have — and now they have five full days to determine how best to silence Mbappé and, it should be noted here, a rather fearsome supporting cast.