‘The France-Argentina final will be a celebration of two top teams’

Henry Winter’s World Cup Diary, Day 27

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Facing France against Morocco I really hoped that the Moroccans might win rather than sit back and accept the inevitable. France’s attack is deservedly celebrated but in truth their defense also deserves something. There was very little turnover. France started the World Cup with Mike Maignan defended by Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Theo Hernandez in Senegal. Lucas Digne replaced Hernandez against Iraq. Maxine Lacroix and Theo Hernandez came in for Saliba and Digne in the dead rubber against Norway. In the three play-off games so far, Didier Deschamps has started the same defence: Maignan; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano and Digne.

They have never conceded a goal in the knockout stage. They have conceded one goal every four and a half hours in this competition. They are the rock on which France is built to fight for a third title.

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Credit where it’s due: Argentina’s referee, Facundo Tello, had a terrible game in charge of France and Morocco. Officials are constantly criticized and have not been helped by the idea of ​​foreign interference following the Fiaf Folarin Balogun fiasco. France were worried about the Argentina side but Tello managed the game well – in hot conditions. He is a good referee, so highly regarded that he was invited by UEFA to help oversee Euro 2024.

It wasn’t Tello’s fault that his VAR colleagues took 3 seconds and 11 seconds to decide that Noussair Mazraoui’s apparent foul on Kylian Mbappe was a penalty – as Tello had said. The delay was apparently caused by the forensics examining Desire Doue’s challenge to Achraf Hakimi at the start of the tour.

That should have been quickly cleared and Mbappe conceded the kick earlier. Yassine Bounou is probably the best in the world at stopping penalties. Mbappe is not brave, but waiting has caught up with him, and the stuttering that called others here has now claimed him. The delay was bad for Mbappe but please stop stuttering. This is the third part they have missed so far in this World Cup. Goalkeepers are very good at studying themselves. As for Tello, he looked at the whole game from the right perspective and his problem is that Argentina’s progress will prevent him from participating. It is the same with the special pair of France Francois Letexier and Clement Turpin, referees of England in the quarter-final against Norway. The France-Argentina final will be a celebration of two top teams, arguably the best in the world against the world champions. That would leave Alireza Faghani, the Iranian-born Australian who managed Mexico v England as a contender in the final. Faghani’s handling of the stunning encounter at Azteca was questioned by some but the three main calls were justified. The two penalties included a direct foul on Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane kicking an opponent’s foot. Jarell Quansah’s red card came after a review. What is MetLife?

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England train at Inter Miami this afternoon, building on that David Beckham connection. Beckham’s name resonates strongly with the current generation of England, even if we haven’t seen him play. Bukayo Saka was born a month before Beckham scored a free-kick against Greece at Old Trafford in 2001. He was four when Beckham played in his last tournament, the 2006 World Cup, and only eight when Beckham made his 115th and final appearance. “David Beckham is an image for all of us because he has been to these competitions in England and had some crazy moments for us, some we will never forget, the fans will never forget,” said Saka.

It shows the enduring nature of Beckham’s name and brand, his reputation for special occasions and his powerful image in action that Saka has such a strong memory of him as an England player. Or Saka has turned on American TV and seen Beckham in many commercial breaks.

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Speaking to one of Argentina’s journalists covering their match with Switzerland here, he commented without hinting that “Messi is from another planet”. He’s really good at using space. England players were asked about Messi in the Argentinian media and often praised him. “He’s a top player, the best in the world, and he’s got a lot of competition,” said Nico O’Reilly. “He has an amazing World Cup,” echoed Bukayo Saka.

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