FRENCH AWAIT FINAL FOE
France books a place in World Cup title game against England or Croatia,
SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA— Samuel Umtiti landed with a thud, sprinted six or seven strides due to nothing but sheer momentum but then slowed. From that point on he broke into a hip-swaying sashay, a swagger to the sidelines that was a celebratory form of sass.
Welcome to the France of 2018 — all power, all pace and peppered with style and swagger when the moment presents itself. Many moments presented themselves in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday night but Didier Deschamps’ side is so wonderfully cohesive, so supremely composed and most of all just so damn confident that they will happily eschew handfuls of such moments.
They know that it only takes one. With a defensive unit that shuts down all Belgian routes here, one moment — Umtiti’s — was enough to power Les Bleus to a 1-0 victory and into a third World Cup final in the space of 20 years. The first of those went France’s way in epic fashion on home soil in 1998, the second ending in something more resembling an epic tragedy when Zinedine Zidane’s moment of madness became the lasting image of the 2006 final. No matter how Wednesday’s second semifinal between England and Croatia in Moscow goes, you sense France has already reached out and touched the World Cup with one hand. They just need to use the other to keep whatever opponent shows up at the Luzhniki Stadium at bay Sunday — like they kept Belgium’s vaunted attack at bay here. Belgium threatened plenty but never where it mattered. Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne roamed the periphery of France’s rearguard but rarely pierced through Umtiti and Raphael Varane, the stony, steely heart of the tournament’s best defence. On the few occasions they did, captain Hugo Lloris was never fussed in the goal.
In front of the back four, Paul Pogba and Ngolo Kante marshalled the middle of the battlefield like veterans of decades of these kind of skirmishes, not two guys in their mid-20s who present themselves as the oddest axis in the game. The extrovert with enough haircuts for an army and the introvert more focused on grooming the grass he wears thin in lung-busting runs up and down the field. Restored to the lineup, Blaise Matuidi added another unrelenting body to the battle.
On the occasions when they did counter, the threat came from everywhere but nowhere more so than the mind-blurring feet of Kylian Mbappe, the teenage dream come true who provided the game’s most magical moment, a pirouette flicked pass inside to Olivier Giroud, who could have extended France’s lead. He didn’t, but then he didn’t need to.
And that, in truth, is France’s greatest quality. They can do it all — but they don’t have to. They’re content to do enough. It’s a ruthless pragmatism that you can’t help but marvel at.
“It was exceptional,” Deschamps said out on the pitch shortly after the final whistle.
“I’m very happy for my players.
“We showed character and the right mentality. It was very hard for us tonight. We worked hard defensively.”
Alittle later when he had gathered his thoughts in time for the post-match press conference, he again spent much of his time praising his players — but he did speak of destiny too. For the man who captained France to that glorious triumph in Paris 20 years ago, inspiring a second golden conclusion at this World Cup would put him in the pantheon.
“Yes, everyone has their own destiny,” added Deschamps.
“We try for that destiny to be as beautiful as possible. Are there comparisons (between 1998 and now)? Perhaps.”
Shamefully for FIFA, the sides had been greeted by swathes of empty seats when they entered the arena, a couple of thousand
FRANCE from S1
never actually filled up, the corporate brigade maybe tied up with myriad other offerings in this remarkable city. They will likely claim to have been here, maybe flashing an unpunched ticket as proof. Those who did show were treated to a spectacle that threatened to be a classic as it crackled early on before France rolled the fire blanket over things. For Hazard and De Bruyne and the rest of this golden Belgian generation it was not the fitting finale that had been promised. But they couldn’t argue with it either.
France had struck right when they needed to — as Belgium threatened to grow again after the interval. They had burst back out after the break and looked to get spearhead Romelu Lukaku more involved.
But on 51 minutes, Giroud’s tireless donkey work earned a corner. A World Cup that has played host to the revival of the set piece had another up its sleeve. Antoine Griezmann whipped in a cross that was pleading with someone, anyone to come meet it.
Enter Umtiti. He stole some space where there seemed none and powered it home at the front post. Then came the sway and the sass and the swagger. The French have all the moves. They’re unlikely to waste them.