With Griezmann at the helm and Mbappé at a gallop, the French team surpass Australia in title defense and Giroud set Henry’s scoring record
France has imposed a historic mission in Qatar. Repeat title. No one has done that since Pelé and Brazil in 1958 and 1962. The reference indicates the difficulty of the challenge. In this Tuesday’s opening game, he galloped past Australia (4-1) and uncorked his talents: Mbappé’s trot and landing, Griezmann’s connection with the rest, the muscles of Rabiot and Tchouameni, the electricity through the wings of Dembelé and Teo Hernández and in addition the goal of Giroud, who with two goals equals the scoring record with France of a myth, Thierry Henry: 51 goals. Giroud has achieved them faster, in 115 games (to Henry’s 123). In the absence of Benzema, the French team stands firm with a whole arsenal of stars.
On the way to Qatar, France left much in tatters. Pogbá, Kanté and, at the last minute, Benzema, his emblem, were injured. Lucas Hernández joined that list in the 12th minute of the game against Australia, with his right knee likely broken in play extended with a pass from Leckie and finished with Goodwin’s shot putting the Australians ahead. Everything was twisted for the gala team. At the Janoub stadium, he planned the curse that accompanies the winners of the World Cup. The last three, Italy, Spain and Germany, fell in the first phase of the next championship. France defends title in Qatar. The 0-1 made him swallow.
Didier Deschamps, a French coach, had instructed Mbappé and Dembelé to widen the field. That would open holes for Griezmann, the Axis, the player who draws triangles on tiptoe two steps from the rival territory. But the Australian goal set another fence to jump. France hesitated for ten minutes against a team full of unknown players, many trained in the Scottish league. An example: their striker, Duke, plays in the Japanese second division.
France’s chill subsided in the 26th minute. After a corner kick, Teo Hernández shot the ball into the penalty area and found only Rabiot, who executed Ryan’s goalkeeper. The draw sounded like a relief for Deschamps’ team, who imposed their power from there and tilted the field in their favour.
He also had rival help. The Australian defense was determined to get the ball out of defence. Straight away. It’s not your thing. Rabiot took the ball from them. The rebound was in favor of Mbappé, who, with a brilliant back heel, enabled Rabiot to give Giroud the second goal. France enlarged. Griezmann, ubiquitous, left on a plate what could have been the third goal for Mbappé. Failure.
Yet Australia was still alive. The French defense, without Varane and with Upamecano and Konaté, abandoned access roads. And Australian Irvine, a staunch defender of LGTBI rights, kissed the post with a header. Was it a warning for the second half? No.
Mbappe sentence
Mbappé convicted after a pass from Dembelé’s other band. He towered over the two giant rival centre-backs to make it 3-1. The fourth came quickly. Mbappé already went wild with the support in his band of the explosive Teo Hernández. The traffic through that zocalo skipped all speed cameras. In one of his gallops he crushed his defender and sent the fourth goal to Giroud, who put himself on Henry’s level. He got excited. Eyes to the sky France starts with a 4-1 on their way to conquering a new World Cup. Mbappé wants to be like Pelé. Nothing less.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
