‘A joy to watch’: World Cup fans embrace Les Bleus as Deschamps finally takes the brake off
Key takeaways
- By: Benjamin DODMAN Michael OIise found the post with a spectacular bicycle kick during France's crushing win over Sweden in the round of 32.
- For the best part of 60 minutes, France’s fearsome attacking squad looked clueless and disjointed in their first match against Senegal, a montage of world-class forwards unable to connect.
- As the Lions of Teranga sliced through the French lines with ease, and Les Bleus’ attackers played out of role, some fans might have been wishing the Deschamps era had ended sooner.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
After 14 years of pragmatic football under their risk-averse manager Didier Deschamps, World Cup favourites France have unleashed their full attacking potential for his last tournament at the helm, to the delight of French and other fans in awe of a formidable armada that includes the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise.
By: Benjamin DODMAN Michael OIise found the post with a spectacular bicycle kick during France's crushing win over Sweden in the round of 32. © Petr David Josek, AP The French juggernaut took off just past the hour mark in their World Cup opener – and there has been no grounding them since.
For the best part of 60 minutes, France’s fearsome attacking squad looked clueless and disjointed in their first match against Senegal, a montage of world-class forwards unable to connect.