France's attacking magic... evaporates
Arlington - AFP - The offensive magic failed this time. After the French quartet had been brilliant since the start of the North American World Cup, the “Blues’” primary weapon collided with Spain’s resilience on Tuesday, sending them out of the tournament in the semi-finals with a 2-0 defeat.
Neither Kylian Mbappé, the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals since the World Cup began, nor Michael Olise, the competition’s best playmaker with five assists, nor even Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, managed to threaten Unai Simón’s goal.
During the first half, Bradley Barcola, who was preferred by Didier Deschamps over his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Desiré Doué, was the only one to attempt a shot from outside the box, but his effort sailed well over the stands of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, on the outskirts of Dallas.
Otherwise, the French forwards, who had scored all of France’s 18 goals in the tournament up to that point, failed to create any real chances. The second French shot of the first half, which also missed the target, came from Adrien Rabiot.
Mbappé was the symbol of this impotence, touching the ball only 15 times during the first half, just twice inside the Spanish penalty area, without ever finding himself in a position to shoot.
Spanish midfielders successfully stifled their movements, but the attacking duo also appeared highly nervous, losing possession frequently due to inaccurate passes or after losing individual duels they had initiated.
After dazzling the world at the start of the World Cup, Olise’s form had declined against Paraguay and Morocco. This time, he was completely submerged, losing the ball 20 times and failing to complete any dribbles, despite his known speed and precision.
The Bayern Munich striker also showed clear signs of tension, notably committing a violent foul on Rodri (14th minute) that could have earned him a red card. However, Salvadoran referee Iván Barton did not even deem it necessary to show a yellow card.
With his teammates abandoning him, Mbappé tried to lead a revolt alone after returning from the locker room, while France was already trailing 2-0, following Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty in the first half (22nd minute) and Pedro Porro’s goal (58th minute).
Mbappé appeared frustrated and helpless, despite having been an ideal captain for the French national team throughout the World Cup. He committed a foul on Simón that earned him a yellow card (86th minute). That was the final straw.
France had relied on the magic of its front line to secure a third star in the United States. But the magic evaporated, along with their dreams of glory.
