Kylian Mbappé will be on the Place de la Concorde this Monday evening, to come and greet the supporters of the Blues after the campaign of the French team in Qatar. The opportunity to raise your head after a first message full of hope on social networks…
Kylian Mbappé should be one of the most scrutinized faces during the evening of the French team on Place de la Concorde, this Monday evening, the day after a painful defeat against Argentina in the final of the World Cup . From the Hotel Crillon, the Blues will come to greet their supporters after a campaign in Qatar of which they will certainly not have to be ashamed, their star striker the first. While he appeared with a closed face, visibly disgusted, at the end of the Albiceleste triumph yesterday, Kylian Mbappé nevertheless wanted at midday to deliver a message of hope to his fans and to those who are waiting with looking forward to the next meeting of the tricolor selection with the competition.
The striker of the France team, top scorer in the World Cup with 8 goals including three in the final (not counting his successful penalty during the penalty shootout), posted a message on Twitter that says everything about his state of mind and his ability to bounce back: “We will come back” simply promised Kylian Mbappé to his fans. Two words welcomed as a relief after the particularly marked disillusionment at home last night.
A tragedy in 5 acts
Kylian Mbappé twice put the Blues back on track, in the World Cup final on Sunday, with a legendary hat-trick that propelled him to top scorer in the World Cup. But this immense personal achievement will not have been enough. The France team nevertheless lost after a scenario of rare cruelty, after coming back from hell and believing in it until the end (3-3, 4-2 at the end of the game). b.).
For the native of Bondy, it was a completely crazy evening that unfolded, marked by his goals of course and a crushing balance sheet for the Argentinian goalkeeper Damian Martinez, but also by his duel with Lionel Messi punctuated by little exchanges friendly, a long and trying moment with Emmanuel Macron at the edge of the field during the coronation of Argentina and ultimate jolts even in the locker room after the match…
1- An anthology hat-trick
A hat-trick in the World Cup final is already a feat. Before Kylian Mbappé, only the Englishman Geoff Hurst had realized it, on July 30, 1966. The PSG striker twice put the French team back on track against superior Argentines in all respects for 80 minutes terrible. While the Blues were (badly) led 2-0 in the first half and seemed to be at the bottom of the hole, Kylian Mbappé first struck on a penalty obtained by Kolo Muani (80th), one of the architects of the revolt , then released a masterful recovery, after a recovery from Coman and a one-two with Thuram (81st), allowing the France team to come back from hell ten minutes from the end of regulation time in this France – Argentina. Check out this second life-saving goal in the video below.
In extra time, the Mbappé miracle happened again. While the Albiceleste had again taken the advantage thanks to a certain Messi (109th), Mbappé took advantage of a new penalty (118th) to save the Blues for a second time (3-3). During the penalty shootout, Mbappé will again deceive the Argentinian goalkeeper Damian Martinez, passing him a total of 4 goals including three face-to-face penalties, without fail. But the failures of Coman and Tchouaméni, more feverish, will deprive the Blues of a double in the World Cup…
2- The duel (won) against Messi
Mbappé’s feat is all the more historic as he twice overtook Lionel Messi on the counter, in the match, but also in the World Cup scorer rankings. Tied before the final with 5 goals each, the two players had to engage in a duel in the duel this Sunday. And it was Messi who had taken the advantage at the start of the match, scoring the first goal for the Albiceleste from the penalty spot (23rd), then again in extra time (109th, or 7 goals in the World Cup). But that was without counting the flair of the Frenchman who scored not two but three goals in the final and finished top scorer with 8 goals.
The exchanges of the two Parisians on the ground were also very observed by PSG fans, who did not fail to point out that their return to the Camp des Loges locker room in January could be difficult, with supporting images. . In particular, we see Messi clenching an angry fist, with a furtive but very clear look at Kylian Mbappé after his first goal. Scene that will repeat itself in the other direction a few minutes later…
3. Macron’s insistence
At the end of the match, Messi will briefly try to come and comfort his Paris Saint-Germain teammate, a sign, we hope, that the animosity between the two football giants was only temporary. On the other hand, Emmanuel Macron hastened to gain the lawn to grab Kylian Mbappé and try to comfort him. A long sequence during which the attacker, in full disillusionment, will not have a look for the President of the Republic, even seeming to wait for us to let him ruminate on his quiet defeat. It is the Argentinian goalkeeper, Damien Martinez, who will come to put an end to this highly commented scene on social networks by also attempting a gesture towards his executioner of the evening.
Neither the golden shoe of top scorer, nor the insistence of Emmanuel Macron to console him at the edge of the field will therefore have been enough for a visibly disillusioned Kylian Mbappé. The President of the Republic will try again to grab Mbappé, on the podium, during the medal ceremony, in vain.
Read also
4. Obvious distress
The images of the players of the France team, for some in tears, will be among the most striking of this World Cup 2022. The face of Antoine Griezmann, completely missed out on his final, is one of them. But the different shots on Kylian Mbappé after the penalty shootout will be remembered for a long time. The French striker, awarded the World Cup top scorer trophy before going for his silver medal with his teammates on the podium, will have had a long and difficult time as evidenced by the pictures taken after the meeting.
5. The “minute of silence” for Mbappé in the Argentinian locker room
We were able to discover during this 2022 World Cup all the aggressiveness of the Albiceleste on the ground, in the final, but also during other meetings of the tournament (the Netherlands certainly keep a bitter memory). An aggressiveness in the game, but also in the gestures and in the mentality. After the match, a video will quickly circulate on social networks. We see a caterpillar of the Argentinians celebrating who will suddenly be interrupted by Damian Martinez himself. The goalkeeper, who one might have thought modest after conceding four goals from Kylian Mbappé, will ask his teammates for “a minute of silence” for the French striker. A sequence that contrasts with that of the fair play goalkeeper who came to greet the striker after the final whistle.
Mbappé against the whole of Argentina?
As against England or Morocco, eyes were on Kylian Mbappé before and during the final. Less comfortable and decisive for two games, one could wonder if the Frenchman would be up to the epilogue of the World Cup against his PSG teammate, Lionel Messi. We now have the answer. After a duel 80% in favor of the Pulga, the hero Mbappé will have achieved the feat of reversing the trend twice and winning three duels in total on penalty against the opposing goalkeeper. A huge personal performance.
If the duel has been in the headlines for several days, it is also because Kylian Mbappé has caused controversy in South America after statements about the level of play in South American countries. “The advantage we have, the Europeans, is that we always play among ourselves and we have high-level matches all the time, like in the Nations League. When we arrive at the World Cup, we are ready, where Brazil and Argentina don’t have that level. In South America, football is not as advanced as in Europe. That’s why the last World Cups, if you look, it’s always the Europeans who win,” he said a few months ago, alienating an entire continent.
Asked about the subject, the goalkeeper of Argentina Martinez had also curtly cropped the native of Bondy. “Mbappé doesn’t know enough about football. He’s never played in South America. If you don’t have that experience, you can’t comment. But that’s nothing. They know we’re a selection of world level and they respect us,” he said.