Qatar has managed to hold the 22nd Football World Cup, which started on the 20th of November last year, in the midst of various conflicts of opinion. Argentina and France qualified for the finals of the nearly month-long tournament.
This article discusses the way Argentina and France reached the finals of the World Cup.
Travel in France
France, who won the football world championship in 2018, took part in this year’s World Cup with the aim of defending it. Even before the start of the tournament, injuries to midfield players N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba and forwards Karim Benzema and Christopher Nkunku caused a heavy loss to France. Lucas Hernandez also suffered a serious injury in the middle of the World Cup.
However, the French team, which won the world championship twice, included many other star class players. Because of this, they were able to showcase their skills right from the preliminary round. This time, they joined the World Cup under Didier Deschamps, who was a member of the French team that won the World Cup in 1998 as well as the head coach of the French team that won the World Cup in 2018. In the preliminary round, France faced Australia, Denmark and Tunisia in Group D.
The Possibility Of Winning The World Championship Twice
Hugo Lloris, who was the captain of the French team that won the 2018 Football World Cup, is leading the team this time as well. In addition to Lloris, Raphael Verane, Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Ousmane Dembele and Benjamin Pavard also belonged to the 2018 World Cup squad. All these players have the potential to win the World Championship twice.
Only Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria remain in the 2022 tournament from the Argentina team that won the 2014 World Cup runner-up. It is also special that Messi won the Golden Ball award for the best player in the 2014 World Cup.
Preliminary Round Performance
France first met Australia in the first round. Australia got off to a good start in this match scoring a goal in the 9th minute. After that, Adrien Rabiot and Olivier Giroud scored twice for France. In the second half of the match, Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud scored 2 more goals to confirm the French victory with 4-1 goals.
France and Denmark met each other in the second match of the preliminary round. Like the European rivals, the fact that they have defeated Denmark and France several times in the last period has led to the heat of this match. While Kylian Mbappé scored 2 goals, Andres Christiansen’s goal for Denmark was not enough. Therefore, France got a 2-1 victory in that match.
A Curse Of World Champions?
All the teams that have won the world championship since 2006 lost in the first round of the tournaments held after that. Despite the notion that it was the curse of the world champions, France qualified for the last 16 with Denmark’s victory above. France was also able to end the champions’ curse after 12 years.
Coach Didier Deschamps rested many strong players for the third and final Tunisia match of the group stage. The reason for that was that they had already qualified for the last 16 round. Due to this, the goal scored by Wahbi Kasri confirmed the victory of Tunisia. Despite a 1-0 defeat, France qualified for the last 16 by topping Group D.
Knockout Round
European rivals Poland and France, who finished second in Group C, met in the Round of 16. Poland did not get any chance to win in the face of the game style of Kylian Mbappé and Oliver Giroud, who were successful again. Giroud scored one goal and Kylian Mbappe scored two goals. Robert Lewandowski scored a goal in the last minute of the match to give France a 3-1 win. They made it to the semi-finals without difficulty.
Consisting of many star players, England and France entered the competition in the semi-finals. Even before this match, there was a lot of attention due to the presence of many stars in both the teams. France took the lead in the first half of the match with the goal scored by Aurelian Tuchunemi. With the goal scored by Harry Kane, the match was again tied at 1-1. Oliver Giroud scored another goal for France, but Harry Kane failed to convert a penalty for England. As a result, France qualified for the semi-finals with a 2-1 victory.
Morocco, The Revolutionaries Of The World Cup
The 2022 World Cup revolutionaries, Morocco and France, joined in the semi-finals. The fact that Morocco was the only African team to qualify for the semi-finals in the history of the World Cup had become a special memory of the tournament.
Two goals from Theo Hernandez and Kolo Muani gave France a comfortable win and booked their place in the final. It is also special that it is the only time that France has qualified for the World Cup finals consecutively after the teams of Italy, Brazil, Germany and Argentina.
Beauty of Argentina
Despite winning the runner-up title in the recent 2014 FIFA World Cup, Argentina failed to advance beyond the last 16 of the 2018 World Cup. They also had the bitter memory of losing the Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016. However, Argentina qualified for the 2022 World Cup by winning the 2021 Copa America title and going undefeated in 36 matches.
After losing the 2018 World Cup, they participated in the World Cup under Lionel Scaloni, who became the coach of the Argentina national football team. Even before the start of the tournament, the injury of midfielder Gioni Locelso caused a serious loss to the Argentine camp. Nicolas Gonzalez and Wakeem Correa also suffered injuries before the World Cup. Angel Di Maria, who is a crucial factor in the team as well as having a lot of experience, also faced a minor injury during the World Cup.
Preliminary Round Performance
Argentina, who joined the World Cup from Group C, first competed with Saudi Arabia. Lionel Messi took the lead from the penalty spot but scored 2 goals in the second half as Saudi Arabia beat Argentina 2-1 and secured an unexpected victory.
Due to this victory, it was essential for Argentina to win the remaining two matches. In the 2022 Football World Cup, many revolutionary victories were recorded and the first of them was this Saudi Arabian victory.
Argentina and Mexico battled each other in the crucial second round. These two teams have played on several occasions in the history of the World Cup. This time, the goals scored by Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez in the second half ensured Argentina’s victory. Argentina’s World Cup hopes were further secured with the victory in this crucial match.
Argentina Into The Last 16
In the final match of the preliminary round, Argentina met Poland. Lionel Messi was awarded a penalty in the first half of the match, but it was not successful. Alex McAllister and Julian Alvarez scored for Argentina in the second half. Argentina beat Poland 2-0 to qualify for the last 16.
Knockout Round
Argentina and Australia met each other in the Round of 16, the start of the knockout stage. Australia was becoming a breakthrough team, even defeating Denmark.
A return to action, Lionel Messi and Julián Alvarez scored twice to give Argentina a 2-1 win. After that victory, they qualified for the semi-finals
The strong Netherlands and Argentina played in the semi-finals. Even before this match, the Dutch players and the coach made comments in front of the media and the match took a confrontational nature. The fact that the number of yellow cards distributed among the players throughout the match is 15 is a testimony to it. Goals from Novel Molina and Lionel Messi gave Argentina a 2-0 lead, but Watt Weghorst’s brace made the match 2-2.
Weghorst’s Great Performance
Weghorst’s outstanding performance sent the quarter-final match into overtime. Due to the lack of goals in the extra time, a penalty shoot-out had to be decided to decide the winner.
There, Argentina’s victory was confirmed 4-3 by penalty kick of Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. This is also the second time in the 21st century that Argentina has qualified for the semi-finals of the World Cup.
Argentina’s opponents, who qualified for the semi-finals, were Croatia, who advanced by defeating strong Brazil from the other end. Lionel Messi, who returned to action at the beginning of this match, successfully scored a penalty kick and brought the match 1-0 to Argentina. Julián Alvarez scored 2 goals, confirming Argentina’s participation in the finals. Croatia, who won the 2018 World Cup runner-up, had to withdraw from the tournament.
Before The Finals
France previously played in the World Cup finals in 1998, 2006 and 2018. They won titles there in 1998 and 2018 and lost the final in 2006. Only Italy in 1934 and 1938 and Brazil in 1958 and 1962 have won back-to-back World Cup titles. If France wins the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it will be the first time in 60 years that a team has won back-to-back World Cups.
Argentina played in the inaugural World Cup final in 1930 and subsequently qualified for the World Cup finals in 1978, 1986, 1990 and 2014. Argentina has won 2 FIFA World Cups with wins in 1978 and 1986. 36 years after Diego Maradona won the World Cup in 1986, Argentina have become world champions.
It is correct to say that Kylian Mbappé is the most decisive factor in France when it comes to the players of both teams. He has recorded 5 goals and 3 assists throughout this tournament. Oliver Giroud also scored 4 goals. Antoine Griezmann, who has become the heart of the team, has recorded 3 assists to score goals. He also won the man of the match award in the semi-finals.
Messi Won 4 Man Of The Match Awards In This Year’s World Cup
In addition to this, Hugo Lloris, who is the French goalkeeper as well as the captain, has been engaged in an excellent game. Pogba, the new player Aurelien Tuchunemi who fills Kante’s absence, Ousmane Dembele with fast ball control, Rafael Verane and Theo Hernandez among the defenders are players who can pose a serious threat to Argentina in this year’s World Cup. Their success, France has the ability to win another world championship in a row.
Lionel Messi, who is playing his last World Cup for Argentina, has managed to show a great style of play. He has scored 5 goals in the tournament so far. He also recorded 3 assists.
Messi also managed to win 4 man of the match awards in this year’s World Cup. New player Julian Alvarez, who provides great support to his senior player, has also scored 4 goals.
In addition to the two of them, Enzo Fernandez, who has emerged as a new midfield star, Rodrigo de Paul, as well as Christian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi and Lisandro Martinez, who are responsible for Argentina’s defense, will be extremely decisive in the finals.
Emiliano Martinez’s Style Of Play
The game style of Emiliano Martinez, who saved Argentina in the penalty shootout with the Netherlands, will also have a great impact on the game decision. Angel Di Maria is also scheduled to play in the final after recovering from the injury. If France wins or Argentina wins, it will be their third World Cup victory in history.