Kylian Mbappe clocked up the fastest speed of the World Cup in the last round but Didier Deschamps applied the teenage superstar’s brakes, and those of his France team-mates, in the quarter-final against Uruguay. Like so many of Deschamps’ decisions, it probably was not the most popular but it certainly was a smart one.
The thrilling 4-3 win over Argentina in the previous round seemed to signal the belated start of France’s tournament. Their group campaign was negotiated with relative ease but offered very little in the way of the kind of incisive attacking play and entertainment that many feel this team should be producing. Their last 16 victory and the destruction of Argentina by Mbappe was the kickstart the French public was looking for, even if they were not necessarily expecting it.
Uruguay’s grit took the sheen off that triumph early on in Nizhny Novgorod. Quickly, the focus was shifted back on to Deschamps and the recurring theme that has dogged most of his 80 previous matches in charge: how is it possible to subdue so much attacking flair and still triumph?
This, though, was never likely to be a tie won with swagger. Steel in the face of Uruguay’s fight was the order of the day, and Deschamps’ men stood up to every test and provocation put before them.
Deschamps tweaked his selection, with Corentin Tolisso replacing the suspended Blaise Matuidi. Tolisso played on the left of what looked more like a three-man midfield anchored by N’Golo Kante, with Paul Pogba forced into a more disciplined role on the right. Compared to the 4-2-3-1 of the last match, it was a better match for Uruguay’s diamond which worked so efficiently against Portugal and Russia, with Luis Suarez’s supply line blocked almost completely.
When La Celeste found a way to feed their talisman, Raphael Varane and Suarez’s Barca team-mate Samuel Umtiti snatched away anything he was offered to forage on. Leading Uruguay’s line, Suarez managed not one shot or even a touch in the French box.
Uruguay’s luck deserted them long before they set about France. Being deprived of Edinson Cavani severely handicapped them. Ex-Middlesbrough striker Cristhian Stuani has had a fine season, scoring 21 goals for Girona, but the 31-year-old was unlikely to be anything other than a downgrade on Cavani. That is no great slight on Stuani; replicating Cavani’s influence on this Uruguay team, individually and as a pair with Suarez, is almost the impossible job.
Still, as the half-time whistle approached, Uruguay could argue that the first half belonged to them. Oscar Tabarez’s men stifled the France attack and the veteran coach presumably identified breaks and set-pieces as being key to victory. And he was right.
But, for the second game in succession, the normally dogged Uruguay, who have 10 clean sheets from their last 13 matches, conceded from a set-piece. Following his ex-Real Madrid team-mate Pepe’s lead, Varane guided a perfect header beyond Fernando Muslera, though Griezmann and the France coaching staff deserve their share of the credit too.
Griezmann stuttered his approach to the free-kick from wide, just as he had earlier in the first-half when taking a similar set-piece on the opposite flank, to prompt the Uruguay defence to retreat. In the process of their drop-stop-drop, Varane was able to get a run across the rearguard and meet the delivery unchallenged.
Despite the potency of each attack, the most decisive contributions then came from goalkeepers. France’s Hugo Lloris denied Uruguay a quick and almost-identical leveller when he dived across to his right to thrust a hand in the way of Martin Caceres’ header. Unfortunately for Uruguay, Muslera’s wrists are evidently made of softer stuff than Lloris’s.
After a strong start to the second half by a France side seemingly buoyed by their opener, their crucial second goal arrived in an embarrassing manner for almost everyone involved. Griezmann’s effort from outside the box moved slightly but even he appeared almost reluctant to accept the gift presented to him by Muslera.
The Galatasaray keeper failed to set his feet and when he did plant them to move in line with the ball, he took a big step to his left, leaving his right where it was therefore making any adjustment, however minimal, impossible. With his hands now the only barrier remaining, Muslera tried to swipe the ball away, rather than fix his paws in position to apply a block instead of a slap. It was enough to reduce Jose Gimenez to tears.
Emotions ran high throughout the losing side and Uruguay lost their cool, as well as their belief. France, foolishly, engaged in the pettiness but Deschamps reined his players in before it cost them. When order was restored, France held Uruguay at arm’s length with reassuring ease.
It was not the prettiest of victories but perhaps the most satisfying for Deschamps, who has seen his side improve in line with the difficulty of the challenge before them. Against Argentina, it was an exciting display of extremes, while here was a more pragmatic performance that exhibited another way to win. Against Belgium or Brazil in the semi-finals, France will require a balance between the two but Deschamps’ side appear to be peaking in time to achieve it.
