Find the main information of the day on the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on the 26th day of the competition.
The day after the France-Morocco semi-final, the spirits now turn to the last two matches: the small final on Saturday between Croatia and the Atlas Lions, and especially the final on Sunday which will oppose Lionel Messi’s Argentina to the Blues of Kylian Mbappé.
France is in the final
Morocco will not have achieved the feat of beating the reigning world champions. After eliminating Spain and Portugal, the Atlas Lions, coached by coach Walid Regragui, came up against the defense of the France team and conceded two goals from left-back Théo Hernandez and striker Kolo Muani. In defense, the performance of Ibrahima Konaté, the Liverpool player born in Paris was once again praised. He was associated in the central hinge with a solid Raphaël Varane who seems to be regaining his best level of play. Sixty years after Pelé’s Brazilian Seleçao, the French team will be on Sunday at the Lusail stadium in a position to defend their world title against Lionel Messi’s Albiceleste. Either the two monsters of contemporary football – the Argentine striker and Kylian Mbappé – face to face. The analysis of our special correspondent in Qatar.
The program of the next matches
The figure of the day: 23.3 million
This is the number of viewers counted Wednesday evening by the TF1 group during the match between France and Morocco. This is a record audience for a World Cup since 2006, the channel said. The victory of the French team against England (2-1) in the quarter-finals last Saturday had already been followed by 17.7 million viewers on TF1, the only channel to broadcast the World Cup in clear in France. It was so far the best audience of the Blues since the start of the tournament in Qatar, despite numerous calls for a boycott.
The left denounces the “ratonnades” of the far right in several cities
While much of the gathering went smoothly on Wednesday night, such as on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, several major cities were the scene of attempted violent protests specifically targeting supporters of Morocco. “Say, Éric Zemmour and Jordan Bardella who for three days had been announcing that it was going to degenerate yesterday for France-Morocco… You hadn’t told us that you were talking about your identity allies from the ultra-right who were preparing old-fashioned ratonnades…” , severely tackled Marine Tondelier, the brand new general secretary of Europe Ecologie – Les Verts, on Twitter. Ditto for the boss of LFI deputies, Mathilde Panot, who said on Public Senate “very worried” to see action “with impunity” of the “extreme right groups in our country”.
The picture of the day
Antoine Griezmann can hit the table, even knock it over. The Atlético Madrid player received the man of the match trophy on Wednesday evening after having multiplied for 90 minutes against the Moroccan waves. The activity of the striker-turned-midfielder – even defender at times – even earned him high praise from Paul Pogba. The “Pickaxe”, absent from the World Cup due to injury, compared on Instagram his friend Griezmann to his stainless midfield comrade N’golo Kanté, also on the flank.
The quote
“France are in the final and I hope they will win it”
— Coach Walid Regragui, the class, after the defeat of his Moroccan team against the Blues.
A strike from Kylian Mbappé stuns a supporter
To do more than 6,000 km and have the honor of taking a strike signed Mbappé in the face. Such is the fate of this French supporter who attended the warm-up of the Blues on Wednesday evening, a few minutes before the start of the match between the French team and Morocco. Well wedged with his friends behind the goal, the man was surprised by a shot from the French striker who spun towards the stands, before coming crashing down on his head. The French player immediately went to check on the supporter who seemed somewhat dazed. He was still able to regain his senses in time to see the Blues qualify for the final.
Despite the defeat, the Mbappé-Hakimi bromance continues
Since the final whistle, the Habs have continued to pay vibrant tribute to the Atlas Lions. The opportunity for Kylian Mbappé to congratulate his great friend and partner at Paris Saint Germain, Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi. “Don’t be sad brother, everyone is proud of what you have done, you have made history”, wrote the French player on twitter, the day after the match. Both born in 1998, both precocious and called up for the national team for the first time before their majority, Mbappé and Hakimi are friends like no other.
The last march of Messi and his Argentine “muchachos”
Badly embarked on what looks like a last chance World Cup for Messi, the Albiceleste, carried by an entire people, is only one match away from bringing back a trophy that has been leaking since 1986. Tuesday evening, a long time after the final whistle, the Argentinians remained on the lawn of the Lusail stadium. With red eyes, big smiles crossing their faces, Scaloni’s men hugged each other in the middle of the field. Before resuming in chorus with their supporters boys, the unofficial anthem of the Albiceleste during the World Cup, which Argentinian fans have been singing at the top of their voices for three weeks as soon as they have the opportunity, so much so that the catchy tune runs through our heads without ‘we manage to get him out and find ourselves whistling in the shower. The story of our special envoy to Qatar.
Why Macron shouldn’t have gone to Qatar
Even to attend a World Cup match where the France team plays, a President should not go to a country at the heart of a corruption case, guilty of quasi-slavery and eco-delinquent. Thomas Legrand’s video editorial.
On the Head of State side, we assume. “I was four years ago behind the French team in Russia, I am behind them in Qatar“, recalled Emmanuel Macron this Thursday morning on his arrival in Brussels for a European summit, the day after his presence in Qatar during the France-Morocco match. Following this victory, Emmanuel Macron even acknowledged that “Qatar organizes it very well, this World Cup“. He will be present on Sunday to watch the final against Argentina.
World Cup: supporters have no borders and that’s good
As a child, I often took myself for the Uruguayan Alvaro Recoba, the Italian Roberto Baggio or the Brazilian Rivaldo. Nothing to do with my identity card: sometimes all it takes is a thrill, a goal, an action, a place, a time or a memory to identify yourself. Soft ticket.