‘Sterling’ France shows up to reach third final in 20 years
Nation with uneven soccer history ousts Belgium 1-0 in semis
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — That brilliant, wretched, wonderful, abominable, sturdy, flimsy World Cup character, France, has perched itself on a fresh rung after Tuesday night in St. Petersburg Stadium.
Its taut and expert 1-0 win over Belgium in the first 2018 World Cup semifinal means that in the last 20 years, it’s the only country to advance to three World Cup finals.
How funny, because when it comes to World Cups, France has tended to tilt toward the extremes of sterling or horrifying. It breaks through to the title and upsets Brazil as in 1998; or scores zero goals in a dud in 2002; or bursts past Spain, Brazil and Portugal to the final in 2006; or presents the world a depressing gumbo of dissension in 2010; or makes a refreshing account of itself to the quarterfinals in 2014. This time it has played its first six matches as a bastion of competence, mastering whatever a match asks, exhilarating on attack against Argentina, smashing on defense against Belgium.
“We have given ourselves this huge privilege to reach the final of the World Cup,” said Didier Deschamps, a midfielder on the French team that made Paris the place to be July 12, 1998, and now the coach of France’s team that made Paris the place to be Tuesday night. “We don’t do everything right, but of course there is a progression. I’m very proud of them. I’m very proud of their mentality as well.”
Beyond that, get this: France will arrive in Moscow for Sunday’s final as the favorite against
England or Croatia. That’s 20 years after it arrived at the final as the not-favorite against Brazil. Win, and it can count itself pretty much among the World Cup mastodons.
Far from reversing a 2-1 Round-of-16 deficit to Argentina in a way that required “solidity,” as Deschamps said, but also required outrageous talent, France won a semifinal that turned on inches. As it evolved it figured to turn, and so it did turn, on one moment in which one player squeezed out one feat.
That player could have been any from among France’s attackers Olivier Giroud or Antoine Griezmann or the breathtaking Kylian Mbappe, or from Belgium’s threats such as Eden Hazard or Romelu Lukaku or Kevin De Bruyne. It turned out to be Samuel Umtiti, the Barcelona defender, formerly of Lyon, who crashed into a picture in the 51st minute.
Griezmann’s corner kick, built off Blaise Matuidi’s good run that set up Giroud in the moments before, came curling in.
Belgium’s Marouane Fellaini, listed at 6-3, went up.
France’s Umtiti, listed at 5-10, materialized.
When he headed it into the right edge of the goal, he took a goalless border scrap and gave it a French look.
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez: “Not scoring the first goal was going to be very difficult because of the way France were set up.”
Deschamps, on the French defense: “I don’t know if it’s the greatest, but it was excellent tonight.”
Umtiti, 24, said: “When one is not particularly tall, what is important is the determination. He is a very highly performing player, Marouane Fellaini, but I managed to get a header ahead of him.”
France did not exact a lockdown after that — Belgium had chances, as with a Fellaini header four minutes later that skirted just right of the post — but it provided an exhibition of hard work, determination and savvy. France cemented that through its five wins and its one meaningless, goalless draw with Denmark at the end of group play, it has performed like an outfit that knows that to do.
“We’ve spent 49 days together” in training and playing, Deschamps said. “Who could have believed we would have reached the finals of the World Cup?” Answer: Anyone observing them.
Maybe Belgium’s closest chance came at 18 minutes, when Hazard sent a lovely cross from inside the top left of the box toward the right post of the goal and French defender Raphael Varane appeared to get just enough hair on it to propel it just over the goal. This may have demonstrated the importance of quality hair product.