.
Mbappé, head and feet
He is not yet 24 but he already has nine goals (including five in Qatar) in eleven World Cup matches, one more than Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (in 20 matches) and as many as Argentina's Lionel Messi (in 23 matches), superstars with twelve Golden Balls combined.
"Of course, this World Cup is an obsession, it's the competition of my dreams", reacted the Paris Saint-Germain striker after his double in the round of 16 against Poland (3-1), admitting to having "built " his season for this goal, "whether physically or mentally".
The 2018 world champion dribbled past expectations and evacuated the pressure, however immense on his shoulders, with disconcerting ease.
He also came out of his media silence on Sunday, explaining that he had "needed to (to) concentrate" on the ground and "not to lose energy elsewhere".
"He speaks with his feet and he speaks very well with them", remarked just before Didier Deschamps.
If he was "not in the best of moods" on Sunday, the striker retains the gift of "changing the course of a match at any time", he continued.
.
floating moments
The sometimes limited influence of Mbappé during the match did not escape the coach, nor the lack of collective control at certain times, especially before the break.
"Even if we started very well, we really had twenty to twenty-five difficult, laborious minutes, where we had a slack. We weren't doing things well, with and without the ball", pointed out the boss of the Blues, forced at half-time to "correct certain positions", in particular that of Antoine Griezmann.
French striker Antoine Griezmann with the ball during the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup between France and Poland in Doha, December 4, 2022 © Odd ANDERSEN / AFP
The players in the game, like Jules Koundé, also recognized a "little lack of technical accuracy", "ball losses that we could have avoided".
The FC Barcelona defender, however, believes that the team has "succeeded in correcting the situation" and that it "has never been disunited", a speech shared with Kingsley Coman.
"In the less good phases you have to grit your teeth, stay confident and focused, that's what we did," retains the Bayern winger.
"We have to stay solid in our weak times, not concede a goal and after that we can always make the difference".
.
A sometimes feverish defense
The Poles, with an almost non-existent offensive performance in the first round, managed to shake up the tricolor rearguard several times, with more pressing than usual.
Anxious to avoid long clearances, Jules Koundé, Raphaël Varane and even Hugo Lloris were put in difficulty on the restart with short transitions made dangerous by a game on foot and a positioning that was not always reassuring.
French defender Jules Kounde (l.) battles for the ball with Polish midfielder Przemyslaw Frankowski (r.) during the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup between France and Poland in Doha, December 4, 2022 © Odd ANDERSEN / AFP
"Yes, we are getting into trouble because the opponents are organizing to come and press," admitted Deschamps, referring to a similar problem against Tunisia (1-0 defeat) in the first round.
"In passing time, there are things that we can improve. We are far from perfect, but that aspect hasn't brought more tranquility to our game either," said he conceded.
An unfortunate hand from Dayot Upamecano allowed Robert Lewandowski to reduce the score from the penalty spot at the very end of the match, and prevent Hugo Lloris from achieving his first "clean sheet" (game without a goal conceded) in Qatar.
The other three teams already qualified in the quarter-finals held out for two games (Netherlands and Argentina), or even three (England).
.
Watch out for the Three Lions
The Blues certainly faced Denmark (2-1) in the group stage, but the Scandinavian team went through the Qatari tournament like a ghost, before leaving with a single point.
The duel against the English therefore appears to be the first major obstacle for Olivier Giroud's partners.
England midfielder Declan Rice (l.) and England midfielder Mason Mount (r.) after winning the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup against Senegal in Al Khor, December 4, 2022 © Anne- Christine POUJOULAT / AFP
"These are two very strong teams, I don't think anyone is afraid of each other, there will be a lot of respect," defender Eric Dier said after qualifying against Senegal (3-0).
Midfielder Declan Rice, vice-champion of Europe in 2021 with the Three Lions, was more offensive: "We have spotted weaknesses in them which we will try to exploit".
The "Crunch" is launched, it looks crispy.
© 2022 AFP