France went head to head with Argentina at the Lusail Iconic Stadium earlier today hoping to defend their title at the final stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The French players conceded a careless penalty in the twenty-third minute which was converted into a goal by Lionel Messi. Didier Deschamps’ men were chasing behind when Di Maria found the back of the net again in the thirty-sixth minute on a quick counter where Alexis Mac Allister unselfishly squared it to him in front of the goal. The French team went into the half-time break with a two-goal deficit without being productive at all.
However, they bounced back in a splendid manner as Kylian Mbappe scored twice sending them into extra time. Messi struck back scoring his second to give his team the lead but Mbappe denied them after taking a penalty in a calm and composed manner which saw a nerve-racking game go into the penalties. Unfortunately, Mbappe’s side eventually fell to Messi’s Argentina as they went ahead to lift the cup after an immense battle.
Let’s look at how each France player performed during the match against La Albiceleste.
GK: Hugo Lloris – 6/10
The French keeper made a few excellent saves at the back to keep his side in the game.
RB: Jules Kounde – 6/10
He did his fair share of defending and was accurate when passing the ball
CB: Raphael Varane – 6/10
The Manchester United defender dealt with the danger when needed.
CB: Dayot Upamecano – 5.5/10
He didn’t hesitate to put his foot through the ball
LB: Theo Hernandez – 5.5/10
Hernandez did enough work defensively and distributed the ball efficiently from the back.
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni – 6.5/10
He anchored the midfield with conviction and made a couple of decent chances in the final third.
CM: Adrien Rabiot – 6.5/10
Rabiot offered enough protection for his teammates at the back and was a threat in the final third.
RW: Ousmane Dembele – 5/10
He hastily gave away a penalty in the first half only to be substituted in the forty-first minute.
CAM: Antoine Griezmann – 6.5/10
Griezmann worked hard defensively and won some free kicks for his team.
LW: Kylian Mbappe – 9/10
Mbappe struggled to get into the flow of the game at times in the first half but did well to score twice to tie the match and force the game into extra time. He did it once again in the final minutes of the match as the game went on to penalties.
ST: Olivier Giroud – 5/10
He couldn’t do much inside the penalty box
Substitutes:
LW: Marcus Thuram – 6/10
Thuram added more pace to Deschamps’ attack.
ST: Randal Kolo Muani – 6.5/10
Muani tried hard to make a difference in the final third and earned a penalty for his side in the seventy-ninth minute as he caught Nicolas Otamendi on the run from the left flank.
RW: Kingsley Coman– 6/10
He came into the match in the seventy-first minute of the match to add more firepower to the attack.
CM: Eduardo Camavinga – 5/10
He anchored the midfield with conviction and provided enough protection to the backline.
CM: Youssouf Fofana – 5/10
Fofana offered enough protection for his teammates at the back
CB: Ibrahima Konate – 5/10
