France coach Didier Deschamps walks after receiving the silver medal. REUTERS
France coach Didier Deschamps has lamented his team’s lack of energy in the final of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The 2018 champions lost to Argentina 4-2 on penalties after coming back three times in normal and extra time in a match that will go down as one of the World Cup classics.
France were gunning for a historic back-to-back title, a feat that hasn’t been achieved at the World Cup since 1962.
France forward Kylian Mbappe looks at the World Cup trophy. PIC: Rajan Vadakkemuriyil
“If you look at the whole match, you will see that in the first 70 minutes, we were playing against a very aggressive and dynamic opponent, and we weren’t up to the level for many reasons,” Deschamps told reporters after the match.
Argentina had cruised in the first half with a 2-0 lead as France struggled to keep up with the South Americans, forcing Deschamps into a first-half change. The 54-year-old removed Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele, replacing them with Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani.
Antoine Griezmann, who has been hailed for his dynamic play, was also substituted in the second half after a disappointing performance. The Atletico Madrid star failed to score in Qatar, despite bagging four goals in 2018.
France’s Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann look dejected after the match. REUTERS
A brilliant Kylian Mbappe double in the second half cancelled Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria’s goals, pushing the game to extra time, which saw Messi and Mbappe score again before the game was decided on penalties. France was hit with flu and fever-like virus to some players days before the final. Several players, including Raphael Varane, Ibrahima Konate (who isolated in his room for a while), Dayot Upamecano, Kingsley Coman, and Adrien Rabiot, missed some days of training.
“We managed to make a dramatic comeback, and unfortunately, we have some regrets about the beginning.
France’s Raphael Varane, Hugo Lloris, Ibrahima Konate and coach Didier Deschamps look dejected after they are awarded with their runners up medals after the final. REUTERS
“I went through a lot of emotions tonight, and there are regrets as we were so close to winning this match. There were several reasons why we weren’t so good today, and perhaps we lacked energy, and some of our key players lacked energy.”
Deschamps insisted he had no qualms about his starting 11, adding the virus outbreak could have had physical and psychological effects on his players.
“The whole squad faced a tricky situation for a while, but maybe that had a physical and psychological effect. I had no concerns about the players that started. They were 100 percent fit. We had only four days to prepare for this match. That’s not an excuse, but we just didn’t have the energy,” he added.
