French fear turns into point of victory instead
Tigerish defence set it all up for France
FRANCE were concerned about Belgium’s ability at set pieces but instead scored themselves from a corner to book a place in the World Cup final in an ironic twist, said captain Hugo Lloris after Tuesday’s 1-0 win.
Samuel Umtiti headed home from a corner six minutes into the second half and saw France through to a meeting with either Croatia or England in Sunday’s final.
“We feared them on set pieces but in the end it was us who scored that way,” Lloris told reporters after Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Belgium in the semi-final in St Petersburg.
France’s goalkeeper also made two key saves to add to some similar heroics in the previous rounds but looked to play down his individual performance.
“We all try to be there to help the team and that will be our outlook again when play on Sunday,” he said of the match in Moscow, where France will play in the final of a second successive major tournament.
They lost in extra-time in Paris in the final of the 2016 European Championship to Portugal.
“It was very difficult to accept what happened two years ago, and we do not want that to happen again. We want to finish this tournament in the best possible way.”
But before then there would be time for Lloris and teammates to let their hair down briefly after Tuesday’s triumph.
“It’s hard to let ourselves be euphoric just yet, but it’s a fantastic feeling (to be in the final),” he said.
“This is just one more step, albeit a very important one. We played a very good match in terms of our organisation. We were competitive in all departments.”
(blob) Belgium paid the price for failing to take their chances against France but will now have to shake off their disappointment and focus on finishing third at the World Cup, their coach Roberto Martinez said after his team’s defeat in the semi-final.
Martinez said that while he was pleased his team negated France’s threat on the counter-attack, his players did not show their usual finesse in front of goal.
“It was a tight game,” the Spaniard told reporters. “There weren’t many big moments... The difference between defeat and winning was just one dead-ball situation.
“We controlled their counter-attacks. We had the ball but have to give credit to the way France defended, and we couldn’t find that little bit of magic in front of goal.”
Martinez said his team had done well to nullify the French threat from open play and denied that his decision to start Mousa Dembele in midfield had a major effect on the outcome. Dembele was a surprise selection in place of wide man Yannick Carrasco, with Martinez opting to start playmaker Kevin De Bruyne on the right side of attack instead of the middle of the park.
But De Bruyne’s best moments came when he combined with Eden Hazard on the opposite side of the pitch to the one he was stationed on, and Belgium missed his ability to pick a pass, with striker Romelu Lukaku mostly deprived of service.
After his team fell behind, Martinez took off Dembele and pulled De Bruyne back into central midfield, and though Belgium did not get a goal, they controlled the play better and created more chances.
“I didn’t see France running away with the game,” Martinez added. “It came down to a corner kick. That’s why I don’t think the performance came down to individuals.”
“The disappointment is huge... We need to regroup and recover and see the opportunity. To try to finish third in the World Cup doesn’t happen often. The only time it happened in Belgian football was in 1986, when we finished fourth.
“We need to understand it’s an important game, but I accept it’s very difficult after a game with the emotions we had today. When you had the ambition of getting to the final, it’s tough individually and collectively to prepare for the next game.” – Reuters