Incredible! Les Bleus battled to the end against Argentina (4-3), to snatch a qualification as magnificent as it was unexpected after halftime. The World Cup is on!
They were so criticized, so scrutinized, but they responded beautifully. Les Bleus wrote another magnificent page in their history, this Saturday in the round of 16 of the 2018 World Cup. We remember Seville 1982, Guadalajara 1986, France 1998, but also Hanover and Frankfurt 2006. We will also remember Kazan 2018.
Opposite them, the formidable Argentina, a wounded beast that managed to escape Group D thanks to a late comeback against Nigeria (1-2). But before that, the defensive fragility of the Albiceleste had been noted, first against Iceland (1-1) but without consequence, then against Croatia (0-3) which had put Messi’s teammates in great danger.
Les Bleus, meanwhile, mastered their group stage, with two victories against Australia (2-1) and Peru (1-0). The draw against Denmark (0-0) remained anecdotal because Didier Deschamps rotated the squad and the qualification was assured. However, in terms of play, France had not reassured the observers.
Regarding the line-ups, no surprise on the French side as Didier Deschamps placed his trust in the eleven that started the match against Peru in the group stage. The French rely on the Varane-Umtiti-Pogba-Kanté block to restrict Leo Messi’s influence. In attack, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé supported Olivier Giroud. At one point uncertain, Lucas Hernandez took his place in the corridor.
Jorge Sampaoli decided to field what could be a 4-3-3, a system that would complement the French 4-2-3-1. The central defense Otamendi – Rojo was notably maintained, as were the two midfielders Javier Mascherano and Éver Banega. Unsatisfied with his two strikers Agüero and Higuaín, the Argentine coach decided that Cristian Pavon and Di María would accompany Messi up front. La Pulga should find himself leading the attack.
MBAPPÉ DAZZLING
From the start, Les Bleus took control of the match. After an initial warning with a Griezmann free-kick hitting the bar (9th minute), Kylian Mbappé accelerated through the midfield, infiltrated the Argentine defense, and was tripped by Rojo in the box. “Grizou” did not hesitate to convert the penalty (1-0, 13th minute).
Faced with a very fragile, slow, and often poorly aligned Argentine defense, the aggressive, focused, and incisive Les Bleus could have pulled away. But each time, they missed a little something (21st, 30th, 32nd, and 39th minutes) to put themselves out of reach. As often happens in these cases, the opponent capitalized. Just before halftime, Di Maria, isolated 20 meters from the goal, unleashed a brilliant strike (41st minute) to equalize. Everything had to be redone.
The match got even more complicated right after the break. On an Argentine free-kick, Messi moved into the center and shot. Mercado deflected the ball into Lloris’s goal… even though he wanted to avoid it (1-2, 48th minute).
The match could have turned into a disaster for Les Bleus, who were leading yet dominating completely. And yet, Argentina seemed not to control the game. A huge misunderstanding between Fazio (who came on at halftime) and his goalkeeper Armani could have benefited Griezmann (56th minute).
This is when another hero emerged. Instead of the usual Pogba, Griezmann, Mbappé, or even Giroud (yes, really), it was from an excellent (once again) Lucas Hernandez cross, which passed everyone, that Benjamin Pavard sent an exceptional half-volley into the opposite corner! (2-2, 57th minute). France leveled the score thanks to its right-back, who was not expected to be in the starting lineup at the beginning of the World Cup. A beautiful story behind the match.
In the minds of Léo Messi and company, the match became even more complicated. Revitalized by their equalizer, Les Bleus surged forward. On another cross from Lucas Hernandez, a scramble in the box benefited Kylian Mbappé, who positioned himself to shoot with a devastating sidestep. His shot left Franco Armani no chance (3-2, 63rd minute).
Even crazier, on another counterattack, Giroud perfectly served Mbappé in the box for a double! (4-2, 68th minute).
France had one foot in the quarter-finals. Messi was completely shut down by the Kanté-Matuidi duo, and the Argentines were powerless. However, Les Bleus would tremble until the end, with a last-second goal by Sergio Agüero (4-3, 90+3rd minute).
Qualified for the quarter-finals, Les Bleus will face Uruguay, who defeated Portugal (2-1) thanks to a double by Edinson Cavani. After Angel Di Maria, Kylian Mbappé will face another Paris Saint-Germain teammate. Likewise for Antoine Griezmann: Diego Godin, the captain of Uruguay, also plays for Atlético Madrid.
DIDIER DESCHAMPS’ REACTION
“It was a big game, of course, there were mistakes, we were in trouble at 2-1, we could have made the end of the match easier, but there was a lot of emotion. It’s all happiness, we’ve been preparing for this for weeks, we showed up when it mattered. There are always criticisms, we made some mistakes but we made the Argentines suffer. Now we are going to enjoy it, we have six days ahead of us.”
KYLIAN MBAPPÉ’S REACTION
“We are happy, I felt good, like my teammates, and we told ourselves that together we could do great things. We had a complicated group stage, but there you go, against a great team, with great players, we managed to play a full match.”
ANTOINE GRIEZMANN’S REACTION
“It feels really good. We worked hard. We wanted to see a united team, and we said that we had to defend […] For the penalty, I told myself I would open my foot and shoot on that side. I was lucky the goalkeeper went the other way. We already had the team, which helped the performance, it’s my level that I raised. These are the games I love, either you win, or you go home. I am fully confident, I know my game, my form. I have a slight preference for Uruguay.”
