DOHA, Qatar. The curse of the recent World Cup winners seems tailor-made for France.
The national team of the country is amazingly talented, but it has had as many epic soap opera failures as memorable successes. Les Bleus always seemed to be striving for the fine line between legend and infamy. It’s a program accustomed to tempting fate by tapping locker room chemistry to make the most of its outrageous talent pipeline. France doesn’t need an additional source of bad mana.
Four years after Brazil returned to the final with the Rose Bowl trophy (beating France) in 1998, the reigning World Cup champions found their qualifications irrelevant. The winners of ’98 (France), 2006 (Italy), ’10 (Spain) and ’14 (Germany) were eliminated in the subsequent group stages. Only the Brazilian team in 2006 reached the playoffs. In the last three World Championships – 10, 14 and 18 – the previous winners were 2-5-2 in the first round on aggregate.
For much of the running (or stumbling) at this winter World Cup, the curse must have been real for France, who effortlessly won the 2018 title. Unbalanced games, an excess of injuries, infighting and scandals were almost constant, and Les Blues limped to Qatar with only one win in six. When star midfielder Paul Pogba was accused (and later admitted) of consulting a medicine man, France’s fate seemed sealed.
Mbappe scored twice for France as they reached the knockout stages of the World Cup after two games.
But so far, cursing is no match for conveyor belts in Qatar. There is nothing magical about Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe, 23. On Saturday night, France became the first team to reach the round of 16 at the 947 stadium near the center of Doha – that’s the Container Arena – beating Denmark 2-1, far from the final score.
France dominated the game and Mbappe was at his best. Coach Didier Deschamps called the striker a “locomotive”. Mbappé has scored two goals: three in two World Cup appearances and 14 in his last 12 caps. His seven career World Cup goals equal Pelé in the most goals scored by men under 24, and his 31 goals for France put him on par with Zinedine Zidane, the hero of ’98. Football player of the year three times.
“What can I say? He is an outstanding player. He sets records. He has the ability to be decisive, to stand out from the crowd, to change the game. I know that the opponents will have to rethink their structure against Kylian. rethink their structure. Think about their formation,” Deschamps said on Saturday night.
Mbappe, like this uniquely French side, seemed unflappable. His preparation for the World Cup was rife with chatter about his happiness at PSG, rumors that he wants to leave and selfishness that is sure to undermine his inevitable rise to superstardom. The answers to these questions are clear so far: Deschamps said that Mbappe has become the center of attention and the leader of his second World Cup.
“For me, there are three types of leadership: a physical leader, a technical leader, and maybe a spiritual leader who articulates his thoughts well. I don’t think leadership has only one face,” Deschamps said. He won the World Cup in his 98th year as a player and 18th year as a coach. “Kilian is not very talkative, but he is like a locomotive on the field. He is someone who excites the fans and wants to give everything for France.”
Didier Deschamps hinted he could replace some players in Wednesday’s final Group C match against Tunisia. France (2-0-0) will finish first if not beaten by the Carthage Eagles (0-1-1) and Australia (1-1-0) beat Denmark (0-1-1) with a goal. Significant changes are taking place. If Mbappe rests, it could affect his Golden Boot prospects. But it will almost certainly not harm France. Les Bleus have hardly stopped for a restart, despite the fact that several big-name players have been injured in recent weeks.
Pogba has to get his money back from the medicine man. He missed the World Cup due to a knee injury. His midfield partner in that campaign in Russia four years ago, the indomitable and iconic N’Golo Kante, was also ruled out. Also dropped were defenseman Presnel Kimpembe, forward Christopher Nkunku and goalkeeper Mike Menian. Then it got worse. On November 19, 2022, Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema withdrew from the game with a hip injury, and defender Lucas Hernandez tore his cruciate ligament against Australia.
If that doesn’t sound like a curse, consider this: France took a belated lead and lost to Switzerland in a Euro 16 match last summer. Consider retiring from international football. Midfielder Adrien Rabiot’s mother and agent, Véronique Rabiot, appeared on camera arguing with the Mbappé and Pogba families. This is old-fashioned self-destructive France.
The outlandish farce of blackmailing Pogba and his brother hit the headlines, and it was initially rumored that he had hired a medicine man to cast a spell on Mbappe. The French Football Federation is arguing with several players, including Mbappe, over image rights and mandatory participation in sponsorships. It’s simple. FFF President Noel Le Grae’s apparent indifference to Mbappe’s post-European Cup treatment has left the star with no choice but to step down, now an intergovernmental agency with a focus on sexual harassment and bullying investigations.
This quagmire seemed to slow down the movement of France. Among those failures that preceded the World Cup were two defeats in the UEFA Nations League by Denmark. The curse that seemed to have been permeating for months became a fait accompli last Tuesday when Australia took a ninth-minute lead in France’s opener.
“We talked about curses,” he said. “I do not care. I never worry when it comes to my team… The statistics are inconsistent.
Griezmann excelled at both ends of the pitch and his defensive work was a big part of France’s success.
France fought back and beat Australia 4-1 and were still at full strength when the whistle blew at 974. Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé created devastating dangers on the flanks, attacking on goal or from deep, while the midfield trio of Rabiot , Aurélien Chuameni and Antoine Griezmann were in complete control of the situation. Griezmann’s game deserves special attention. His odd move to Barcelona, ​​his underwhelming performance at the Camp Nou and his ignominious loan move to Atlético Madrid did little to lessen his importance or influence in France. He was superb on both ends against Denmark and deftly took control when Les Bleus left the Dane ragged.
After too many missed chances in the first half, the curse has begun? – France finally made a breakthrough in the 61st minute. Mbappe and left-back Theo Hernandez broke through Denmark’s right defense before Mbappe shot past France to give them the lead.
France equalized minutes after Andreas Christensen’s corner, but the champion’s resilience was real. In the 86th minute, Griezmann found Mbappe passing from the left, and the reigning world champion’s curse came to an end. Add his defeat to Mbappe’s ever-growing list of awards.
“His goal is to play for France in the World Cup and France needs Kylian,” Deschamps said. “A great player, but a great player is part of a great team – a great team.”