Against Uruguay, France controlled the game and confidently qualified for the World Cup semi-finals. On the other side, Luis Suarez was nonexistent.
There was no thrill like in Kazan, no adrenaline rush with each plot twist against Argentina (4-3), and no bullfight-like atmosphere that grips your guts. This time, it took both courage and talent to secure the win. The French team secured a well-controlled victory on Friday against Uruguay (2-0) in the World Cup quarter-finals. Their journey in Russia continues.
The start of the match confirmed everyone’s expectations: it would be long, difficult, and not particularly pretty to watch. The French would have to suffer and grit their teeth, much like Benjamin Pavard who quickly (24th minute) found himself in Luis Suarez’s path and will remember it. In response to the typical tough game of La Celeste, Didier Deschamps’ men answered with their own play.
Without getting rattled despite the blows received and harsh fouls caused by the Uruguayans, they proceeded methodically, making the ball and their opponents move. Although Antoine Griezmann and his team lost many balls at the start, they gradually found solutions. Their efforts paid off. After an initial chance missed by Kylian Mbappé, who was alone (15th minute), Raphaël Varane opened the scoring with a header from a free kick (0-1, 40th minute). Just before halftime (44th minute), Caceres could have equalized in a similar manner, but Hugo Lloris stretched perfectly.
Still tense at the restart, the game balanced out during the first quarter-hour. Uruguay advanced up the field, yet failed to pose any danger. With less control, the French then capitalized on an incredible opponent error to widen the score. After a seemingly harmless shot by Griezmann, Fernando Muslera committed a major blunder and let the ball slip into his net (0-2, 61st minute). A teammate at Atletico Madrid with several of his rivals that day, the striker did not celebrate his goal, the third in the tournament.
Stunned but not knocked out, the Uruguayans stayed true to their principles and didn’t give up. They nearly provoked outbursts from Mbappé and Pogba (68th minute), while Corentin Tolisso, excellent on his left side, came close to sealing the deal (73rd minute). But the outcome was already a foregone conclusion.
In the semi-finals, France will face Belgium, who brilliantly eliminated Brazil (1-2). The world champion will thus be European as the last two quarter-finals pit Russia against Croatia and England against Sweden. The France-Belgium semi-final will take place at 8 PM next Tuesday.
DIDIER DESCHAMPS’ REACTION
“There is so much joy and pride, and it is deserved considering the match. We achieved something great against Argentina, and here we raised our level even further. This team still has room for growth; it lacks a bit of experience at times. But it has such generosity and quality. I am very proud of my group of twenty-three. We’ve been together for a month and a half, and it’s not always easy. We had no injuries or second yellow cards tonight. We are in the semi-finals, which comes quickly; it’s in four days, two days less than after the quarter-final. One thing is certain, this will not be a failed World Cup.”
