Mbappé Made the World Ripple With Expectation 🇫🇷⚽️


There is a relentlessness to this France that might make them irresistible.

Morocco no doubt had the best of intentions, ideas of how they could hurt the side that had beaten them in the semi-final in Qatar, but France press so well that they soon accepted they had no option but to retreat and endure. France have such attacking quality that simply surviving isn’t really a viable option.

Kylian Mbappé, once again, was the key figure, missing a penalty, scoring a stunning opener and then teeing up Ousmane Dembélé for the second.

He went off with 13 minutes remaining to a deserved ovation : the game had seemed to be drifting, and there had just been a sense that Morocco might conceivably pull off an implausible rearguard action, when he produced a goal from nowhere.

How can you stop France? You can defend with great organisation and concentration, block and tackle and harry and work, your keeper can make two or three excellent saves, and then one of their forwards conjures a goal like that.

What is a defence supposed to do? Perhaps France have gone too early. Perhaps they will not be able to sustain this form. But if they do, it is going to take something remarkable to prevent them winning their third World Cup in 28 years.

For much of the first half, a French goal seemed only a matter of time and when Mbappé, released by Michael Olise after Achraf Hakimi had been dispossessed by Desiré Doué, was tripped in the box by Noussair Mazraoui, they had the perfect opportunity.

But the wait for the VAR check, and then for Yassine Bounou to return to his line, was inexplicably long – three minutes and 10 seconds – for what seemed a straightforward decision.

Perhaps the delay spooked Mbappé: his kick was hit limply to Bounou’s left and the keeper saved easily. For Bounou, who has a reputation as a penalty specialist, it was the first time he had saved a penalty for his country outside of shootouts.

Bounou pushed away a Dayot Upamecano header and kept out a Doué effort low to his right, and Lucas Digne smacked a drive against the bar, but the breakthrough would not come for France.

By the time Morocco had their first effort on goal, a free kick slashed wide in the final minute of first-half injury-time, France had had 13 chances.

The rhythm that had elevated France in the group stage and the last-32 tie against Sweden is perhaps no longer quite there. But the intent is not lacking; it’s not that Didier Deschamps has retreated into the sort of cautious football that has characterised his France for the majority of his 14-year reign.

Crosses were overhit and chances were snatched at. In that sense, there’s something of the West Germany of 1990 about them : a team of undeniable and obvious quality, probably the best in the competition, that puts in a couple of signature displays early on and then find itself grinding through the knockout phase.

#mbappé #football #bounou #france #marocco

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Ireland Plays, Then Boycotts the Ritual

Ireland will play Israel on Sunday in Debrecen, Hungary. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu will not. The squad voted by a “significant majority” to fulfill the fixture, then decided that handshakes, pennants and ordinary pre-match politeness were apparently too much football.

Bazunu withdrew from the squad, saying participation would be wrong because of his personal conviction that “the killing of innocent people is wrong.” He was the only player to leave the team. Reports that seven other players had also refused to play were not borne out by the Football Association of Ireland’s statement or by manager Heimir Hallgrímsson, who said the rest of the squad trained.

The Ireland players will wear black armbands “in recognition of all lives lost in the conflict.” They will not take part in some elements of the pre-match ceremony, will not exchange pennants or shake hands with Israeli players, and will suspend media duties for the rest of the international window. The FAI and players also plan to donate match fees and proceeds from Ireland’s October 1 match against Austria to charity.

A collective boycott would have forfeited the match and exposed the association to UEFA sanctions. The players chose a narrower version: play the 90 minutes, reject the ceremony and turn the warm-up into a political statement. UEFA gets its fixture. Ireland gets its protest. Bazunu gets the only act that costs a place on the team.

Israeli midfielder Dor Peretz said Israel would offer handshakes regardless. Coach Ran Ben Shimon said he planned to shake Hallgrímsson’s hand and did not want to “make a big story” out of it. That leaves the Irish squad preparing a gesture meant to deny normality while the Israelis prepare to act normally.

Ireland is not boycotting Israel. It is boycotting the part of football where opponents pretend the match is only football.

#Israel #Ireland #Football #NationsLeague

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