English are struck by Griez lightning
Magician shows France are more than just Mbappe
IT always pays to listen to the wise, old sages and never was that truer than during a pre-game audience with Guy Stephan, France’s assistant manager.
All the hoopla had been around Kylian Mbappe, for obvious reasons, but Stephan — a man with 35 years’ experience as a coach — subtly changed the direction of the conversation to pay homage to the elder statesmen.
‘This is the World Cup of records for France!’ he beamed. ‘Olivier Giroud getting the most goals; Hugo Lloris going past Lillian Thuram’s number of appearances and then there is Antoine Griezmann — 72 appearances in a row! When you think about what that means, it is a remarkable achievement.’
And not a bad pointer for the weekend, either. For all that it seemed pre-ordained Mbappe would be the man to define this World Cup quarterfinal, the men Stephan name-checked put their fingerprints all over the 90 minutes to break England hearts.
While Mbappe flittered on the edges, offering plenty of menace but being well handled by Kyle Walker, France were able to get the crucial foothold in the first half thanks, in the main, to Griezmann.
France’s squad is made up of any number of players who comfortably go into the bracket of world class but the very fact Griezmann, who has spent almost all of his club career in Spain, stands out from them gives you the best example of his talent.
The last time he missed a game for France was in June 2017 and a night in Paris when Les Bleus beat England 3-2 and, since then, he has won the World Cup, was named man of the match in the 2018 final and gone past 100 caps.
Griezemann epitomises so much of what characterises this France team — the nous to get in little pockets and play those flicks and touches that cause such damage — and he was, without a shadow of a doubt, a key reason why they are step closer to emulating the Brazil team of 1962.
During the opening 45 minutes, Griezmann kept moving behind England’s midfield as if he was playing hide-and-seek. Every time Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson and Declan Rice thought they had him, he would pop up somewhere else.
His cunning was at play in the build-up to the strike from Aurelien Tchouameni, which hit a speed of 65 miles per hour at one point before it whistled past Jordan Pickford. Tchouameni is someone you will be hearing much about for many years.
‘We were going for a midfielder but a midfielder decided to go to another club — that can happen,’ Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said of Tchouameni, 22, in August. ‘Some players are not available but for us they are really interesting, so that’s how our life is.’ Tchouameni, who chose Real Madrid over the Premier League, has formed a superb trident with Adrien Rabiot and Griezmann in this tournament and his energy provides a platform for elder statesman Griezmann — not adverse to putting in the hard yards himself — to create a bit of magic.
Never was that more apparent than in the 78th minute when the 31-year-old crowned a man-of-thematch performance with a cross from the left wing that invited Giroud to add a 53rd goal to his haul, stretching clear of Thierry Henry.
England worked tirelessly but this was the kind of moment you feared might cost them, when skill and vision from the highest bracket combine to plunder a goal at a decisive juncture. Giroud’s header clipped Harry Maguire’s shoulder but was always going in.
To think that he wasn’t good enough for Arsenal a few years ago but then won all manner of trophies — an FA Cup, the Europa League and the Champions League with
Chelsea, plus Serie A with AC Milan. He might have a second World Cup next week, too.
Stephan had an almost paternal smile when he discussed Giroud, saluting how he had refused to give up on his dream to create history.
And there was a similar glow when he moved on to Lloris, whose hands were safe all through the game.
Tottenham’s goalkeeper made key interventions before the interval, particularly in the 27th minute when he smothered Harry Kane’s charge to the six-yard box.
The victory keeps France on course to become the first nation to retain the biggest prize of them all for 60 years and Didier Deschamps (left, centre) on track to become the first man since 1938 to lift consecutive World Cups.
Deschamps put an arm around Stephan as they made their way back to the dressing room, as well he might.
Old heads, remember, speak sense.