France showed some frailty while becoming the first nation to reach the World Cup knockout phase. But with Kylian Mbappe, their flaws may not matter…
Kylian Mbappe’s brace helped France remain perfect through their first two games, making them the first team to punch their ticket to the knockout phase. But, mercifully for everyone else, the World Cup holders showcased further moments of frailty alongside their undoubted, perhaps unrivalled, attacking brilliance.
The fact that they aren’t flawless makes France a thrilling ride. Didier Deschamps may not have appreciated the periods during which they ceded control to Denmark but, in Mbappe, the defending champions have a cheat code.
The 23-year-old wasn’t at his brilliant best at Stadium 974. Indeed, in the first half, it was Ousmane Dembele, on the opposite flank, who looked France’s biggest threat. Which perhaps provoked Mbappe to turn it on after the break.
When the No.10 flicks his switch, he can’t be stopped. Against even world-class players, usually opponents can mitigate and if not stop them then at least limit their contribution. But when Mbappe finds his groove, resistance is futile.
🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappé (23) in his 2 World Cups so far:
☑️ 9 games
⚽️ 7 goals
🅰️ 2 assists
🏆 2018 World Cup Champion
🤩 Goal in the 2018 final
💯 Unbeaten
🔥 25 out of 27 points
💎 3 goals, 1 assist in 2022’s 2 gamesThe dude. pic.twitter.com/tRt8Hbf8dF
— Football Wonderkids (@fbwonderkids) November 26, 2022
Rasmus Kristensen offered a valiant attempt at locking down the French left but it was dizzying double trouble for the Leeds full-back. With Mbappe looking to get inside him, and Theo Hernandez going the other way, Kristensen was almost doomed to fail.
It may not have seemed so at the time, but France’s most recent stroke of injury misfortune may work to theirs and Mbappe’s favour. Theo is playing only because of his older brother Lucas’s bad luck in the opener against Australia. But the younger Hernandez is undoubtedly the greater attacking threat, which he demonstrated by setting up Mbappe’s opener with his sixth assist in nine caps. The AC Milan full-back’s darting runs are causing France’s opponents to take their eye off Mbappe, even for a split second, which is usually enough time for the attacker to nip to the shops and back.
But, with the modern-era France, everything comes at a cost. Frailty in defence is the price Deschamps must pay for the domination of…
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