'Lucky’: French media salute  Les Bleus' hearts and guts as they celebrate World Cup win over England

Le Monde said England were the "better side for long stretches" but insisted France were now strong favourites to win back-to-back titles after their 2018 success in Russia.

HEADING HOME: England's Jude Bellingham outside the Souq Al-Wakra hotel in Qatar on SUnday.

The French media lauded their World Cup heroes after they beat England 2-1 in Saturday’s quarter-final but admitted, almost to a journalist, that Les Bleus had ridden their luck as they booked their place in the last four.

Sunday’s L’Equipe splashed with the comprehensible but not-quite translatable wordplay, “Crunchissime”, after France gave away two penalties and – as Harry Maguire and many English fans believed – were fortunate to get away with numerous other challenges.