England’s Kyle Walker dodges France superstar Kylian Mbappe in the tunnel ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final on Saturday (December 10). Harry Kane missed a late penalty as Les Bleus beat the Three Lions 2-1 to book their place in the last four.
Before kick-off, Mbappe was regarded as England’s biggest threat, as he had scored five goals in the competition coming into the game. However, Walker, who has the daunting task of keeping PSG calm, appeared to downplay Mbappe’s threat, instead calling Sadio Mane a tough opponent in the build-up.
Walker and Mbappe locked horns several times during the match. However, there is interesting footage on social media of Mbappe being ignored by his English opponent before the match started.
Here is the video:
It was Kyle Walker he was doing it to but alright mate https://t.co/2keimZIofT
— M (@mahfxz_) December 11, 2022
As the France and England players waited in the tunnel, Mbappe was seen shaking Walker’s hand, which the Manchester City star ignored. Mbappe then withdrew his hand and laughed awkwardly.
Some fans thought he was trying to shake hands with Jordan Henderson as the Liverpool captain stood next to Mbappe. However, it was later confirmed by BBC Sport that Mbappe was in line to replace Walker.
The right-back did well against Mbappe in the game, keeping him at arm’s length, but it was the PSG ace who had the last laugh, as his side survived to fight another day.
Mbappe also laughed after Kane missed a late penalty for England. The Tottenham Hotspur star had a good chance to equalize for the Three Lions in the 84th minute but his effort went over the bar. England threw the kitchen sink at Les Bleus in the last minute but could not find an equalizer.