France isn't about to get ahead of itself, not when there's still two more games to be won before it can lift the World Cup trophy again.
There is something about this squad, though, that reminds Olivier Giroud a lot of the one that won four years ago.
"It reminds me of the mentality we had in 2018, the determination we showed," Giroud said after his goal in the 78th minute proved to be the difference in France's 2-1 victory over England in the quarterfinals Saturday.
"And I hope we go as far as we did."
After Giroud's goal, France withstood two dangerous shots from England. Harry Kane sent what would have been a game-tying penalty kick sailing over the crossbar in the 84th minute, and Marcus Rashford's free kick whistled over the top of the goal in the 101st.
But England would not get another chance before the final whistle blew and France advanced to the semifinals, where they will play Morocco on Wednesday.
France is the first defending champion since Brazil in 1998 to reach the semifinals. It's not that Brazil squad Les Bleus wants to emulate, however, with Ronaldo and Co. losing to France in the final of that tournament.
"You’re getting ahead of yourself," France coach Didier Deschamps said, looking visibly pained when he was asked about possibly repeating.
That France would even get this far seemed remote before the tournament, with Les Bleus losing Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema to injuries. But France has looked like the class of the field for much of the World Cup, and getting past England was a significant step.
England was a semifinalist four years ago and a finalist at the European Championship two years after that. Its squad is loaded with some of the world's best young players, as well as Kane, the veteran captain.
"Tonight was an important match. We knew the potential of this generation, of the young English generation," Giroud said.
This was not the best France has played. After Aurelien Tchouameni put France on the board first with a thunderous strike in the 17th minute, Les Bleus disappeared for big chunks of the game.
It conceded two penalties, including the jaw-droppingly stupid one by Theo Hernandez, who barreled into Mason Mount from behind in the box in the 81st. But Kane, who'd already converted a penalty in the 54th after Tchouameni tripped Bukayo Saka, skied his shot.
"As you’d expect, he’s very, very low," England coach Gareth Southgate said. "He’s got nothing to reproach himself for. We’re in the position we are as a team because of his leadership, because of his goals.
"Tonight, the result is the result because of 100 minutes of football and lots of things that happened at both ends of the pitch."
And France made things happen when it most needed to.
"I should have hit (the first attempt) a bit harder, maybe, and I could have scored," Giroud said. "I thought I might get another chance, and I did.