FIFA World Cup, France's road to final: Le Bleus journey in Qatar all the way to losing Argentina in summit clash

Defending champions France were always favourites in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, and it’s only fair to say that they certainly lived up to those expectations by reaching the final for a second consecutive time. Kylian Mbappe’s heroics in the final against Argentina saw them level 3-3 at the end of extra time despite falling back thrice. Two crucial penalty misses in the subsequent shootout sealed their fate as they go back home as the defending champions to lose in the final but had a memorable journey to the final.

France began their World Cup campaign with a 4-1 thumping of Australia, and they followed it up by beating Denmark 2-1, a win that secured their spot in the knockout stages.

However, resting several key players in the clash against Tunisia meant France went down in their final group game, losing 0-1.

Despite the defeat, Les Bleus ended as Group D toppers with six points, and faced Poland in the last 16, whom they beat 3-1.

The quarter-final against England was a closely contested affair, with Aurélien Tchouaméni and Olivier Giroud featuring on the scoresheet, while Harry Kane scored via a penalty. However, in the final minutes of the contest, Kane did in fact miss out on scoring another penalty, with his efforts going over the cross-bar.

Didier Deschamps’ men would then land the knockout blow on the Moroccans in the semi-finals, ending their dream run to the last four in the process to become the first time since Brazil two decades ago to reach consecutive World Cup finals.

Here’s a look at France’s results at the FIFA World Cup so far, and summarising each game they have played until now:

Group D

France 4-1 Australia

France 2-1 Denmark

Tunisia 1-0 France

Knockout stage

Round of 16: France 3-1 Poland

Quarter-finals: England 1-2 France

Semi-finals: France 2-0 Morocco

Final: Argentina 3-3 France (4-2 P)

Group stage

France 4-1 Australia

France began their FIFA World Cup title defence in positive fashion, beating Australia 4-1 in their group stage opener. This performance from France was once again a reminder of how threatening they can be in front of goal, having been fallen behind 0-1 by as early as the ninth minute.

It was Craig Goodwin, the Socceroos’ left-winger, who gave them the lead in the ninth minute, but that lasted just 18 minutes as Adrien Rabiot headed the ball past Aussie goalkeeper Matt Ryan, collecting an assist from Theo Hernandez.

Olivier Giroud then netted in the 32nd minute, and would complete a brace in the 71st minute.

And of course, no demolition by France is complete without some contribution from Kylian Mbappe, and it was in the 68th minute, he headed the goal on the back of an assist from Ousmane Dembele.

France would walk away with all three points, denying Australia any momentum after that opening goal early on in the contest.

France 2-1 Denmark

Denmark had come into this contest on the back of a goalless draw against Tunisia in their first game, and they had to win this match against France, to have any chance of qualifying for the knockout stages. However, that was not meant to be.

It was a cagey first half that ended goalless, and Mbappe had even blazed over from 12 yards and persuaded Kasper Schmeichel to a save, with a highl-flying shot.

However, Mbappe then responded strongly in the second half, scoring a brace to send France to the knockout stage, becoming the first team to qualify for the round of 16.

Mbappe’s opener in the 61st minute was cancelled out by Andreas Christensen who scored the equaliser in the 68th, and it took just 18 minutes for Mbappe to take France ahead again in the 86th, collecting Antoine Griezmann’s cross two yards from the goal to put it past the opposition goalkeeper.

With this, France not only qualified for the knockouts but also broke the defending champions’ curse in doing so, becoming the first title defenders since Brazil in 2006 to go beyond the group stages of the World Cup.

Tunisia 1-0 France

After two consecutive wins, France were at the receiving end of matters in Qatar when they suffered a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Tunisia, for whom even a victory was not enough to see them through to the knockouts.

With knockouts already sealed, France coach Didier Deschamps  made nine changes, deciding to rest regular players like Kylian Mbappe and Hugo Lloris, and started with Kolo Muani and Kingsley Coman starting up front, while Steve Mandanda started at goal for Les Bleus.

Wahbi Khazri, born in France, gave Tunisia the lead in the 58th minute of the contest, beating two French defenders before slotting the goal into the far corner of Mandada’s goal.

At that moment, when Tunisia took the lead, they were frontrunners to go through to the knockouts but Australia beating Denmark 1-0 in the other game for their second win meant the Socceroos went through, eliminating both Denmark and Tunisia.

Thanks to a better goal difference, France qualified as group winners from Group D.

Knockout stages

Round of 16: France 3-1 Poland

In the Round of 16, France faced European rivals Poland, who finished runners up in Group C in a dramatic day that saw results go down to the wire.

France were off to a dominant start prior to surrendering ball possession to Poland. In the 38th minute, Poland midfielder Piotr Zielenski’s shot was parried by Hugo Lloris, with the ball returning to Piotr’s way but his second attempt was deflected by Theo Hernandez.

In the 44th minute, Giroud gave France a 1-0 lead courtesy an assist from Mbappe. France went to half-time with a 1-0 advantage, and it took exactly another half an hour before Mbappe doubled the lead for France. In the first minute of stoppage time in the second half, Mbappe then tripled France’s lead with a right-footed strike to the top-right corner.

Poland’s talisman Robert Lewandowski did score a penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time, but that was not enough for Poland.

Quarter-final: England 1-2 France

A blockbuster quarter-final between two European giants at a FIFA World Cup is something you cannot take for granted. England have previously been at this platform, but haven’t gone onto win the World Cup since 1966. And their never-ending wait will continue, at least for another four years.

France came out on top, winning the match 2-1, but this game had its moments.

It took just 17 minutes for Aurélien Tchouaméni to give Deschamps’ men a 1-0 lead, and France did well to go into the half-time break with that lead. The lead was however controversial as in the build-up, it appeared as though England’s Bukayo Saka was fouled by Dayot Upamecano but the French goal stood.

Nine minutes into the second half, Saka was once again fouled inside the French penalty box, and that earned England the penalty. Harry Kane did score the penalty, but England’s celebration would be short-lived as Giroud scored via a header in the 78th minute to give France a 2-1 lead.

In the 84th minute, England earned another penalty that was given following a foul by Theo Hernandez, and Captain Kane took it once again.

This time though, Kane, going to the keeper’s right missed the target, blazing it high over the bar. That was a costly missed opportunity for England.

Eight minutes were added in injury time at the end of second half, and the stoppage time went well into the 11th. Marcus Rashford won a free-kick, and in a last-ditch attempt to save England, he whipped it over the wall, only for the ball to end up on the roof of the net. For England, that was that. It was the end of yet another World Cup chapter that ended in disappointment, but France, they keep marching on, and will meet Morocco in the second semi-final on Wednesday.

Semi-final: France 2-0 Morocco

Morocco’s dream run in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where they became the first African team and only the third country neither from Europe nor from South America to reach the semi-finals, ended at the hands of France in the second semi-final at the Al Bayt Stadium on 14 December.

AC Milan left-back Theo Hernandez put Les Bleus ahead inside five minutes as the Atlas Lions conceded a goal from an opposition player for the first time in the tournament. Randal Kolo Muani would then score on the other side of the half-time whistle, pouncing on the ball after a half-shot from Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe to score the third-fastest World Cup goal by a substitute player.

The Moroccans, though, did not give up, testing goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and the rest of the French defence multiple times despite the pressure of trailing for the first time in the tournament. In the end, they bowed out of the tournament with their heads held high after the final whistle blown as France qualified for the World Cup final for the fourth time.

Final: Argentina 3-3 France (4-2 P) Kylian Mbappé scored a hat trick in the World Cup final, he was the tournament’s leading scorer in Qatar, and he still missed out on winning a second straight title.

The France superstar was on the losing side of an epic final against Argentina that was settled in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw on Sunday. He was then consoled on the field by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Mbappé had been the leader France desperately needed as time was running out with the defending champions trailing 2-0. The forward had been practically invisible up to that point.

But his two goals in less than two minutes carried France back into the match. Twice. Mbappé first converted a penalty in the 80th minute, and then he scored with a volley from just inside the area in the 81st.

It took only 97 seconds for him to get France even with Argentina and the great Lionel Messi.

Mbappé scored a second penalty late in extra time, in the 118th minute, about 10 minutes after Messi had given Argentina the lead again.

Mbappé’s hat trick was only the second in a World Cup final — the first was by England striker Geoff Hurst in 1966.

(With inputs from AP)

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