Henry Winter’s World Cup Diary, Day 27
Kansas City
Tuning into France versus Morocco I really hoped that the Moroccans might have a go rather than sit back and take the inevitable. France’s attack is rightly being celebrated but really their defence also deserves some fleurs. There’s been so little rotation. France started the World Cup with Mike Maignan shielded by Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Theo Hernandez against Senegal. Lucas Digne replaced Hernandez against Iraq. Maxine Lacroix and Theo Hernandez came in for Saliba and Digne in the dead rubber against Norway. For the three knockout games to date, Didier Deschamps has started the same defence: Maignan; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano and Digne.
They’ve not shipped a goal in the knockout stage. They have conceded only one goal every four and a half hours at this tournament. They are the rock on which France’s pursuit of a third title is built.
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Credit where it’s due: the Argentinian referee, Facundo Tello, had a terrific game in charge of France versus Morocco. Officials are frequently criticised and have not been helped by the perception of external interference following Fiaf’s Folarin Balogun fiasco. France were concerned about an all-Argentina officiating team but Tello handled the game well – in hot conditions. He’s a good referee, so highly thought of that he was invited by UEFA to help oversee Euro 2024.
It was not Tello’s fault that his colleagues in the VAR booth took 3min 11sec to rule that Noussair Mazraoui’s very obvious foul on Kylian Mbappe was a penalty – as Tello had already signalled. The delay was ostensibly justified by the forensics examining Desire Doue’s challenge on Achraf Hakimi earlier in the move.
That should have been cleared far quicker and Mbappe allowed to take his kick earlier. Yassine Bounou is probably the world’s best at stopping penalties. Mbappe is fairly nerveless, but the wait got to him, and the stuttering run-up which has cost others here now claimed him. The delay was unfair on Mbappe but please, please, stop the stutter. That’s a third of them missed so far this World Cup. Keepers are too clever at reading them. As for Tello, he oversaw the rest of the game ably and his only problem is that Argentina’s continued progress will preclude his involvement. The same with the exceptional French pair of Francois Letexier and Clement Turpin, who referees England’s quarter-final with Norway. A France-Argentina final would be a celebration of two elite teams, arguably the world’s best versus the world champions. That would probably leave Alireza Faghani, the Iran-born Australian who officiated Mexico v England as a contender for the final. Faghani’s handling of the epic encounter at the Azteca was questioned by some but the three main calls were justified. The two penalties comprised a straightforward foul on Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane kicking through the foot of an opponent. Jarell Quansah’s red card came after review. Faghani for the MetLife?
England train at Inter Miami this afternoon, building on that David Beckham connection. Beckham’s name resonates powerfully with the current England generation, even if they hardly saw him play. Bukayo Saka was born a month before Beckham’s momentous free-kick against Greece at Old Trafford in 2001. He was four when Beckham played at his last tournament, the 2006 World Cup, and just eight when Beckham made his 115th and final appearance. “David Beckham is an icon for all of us because he’s been to these tournaments for England and had some crazy moments for us, some that that we will never forget, the fans will never forget,” Saka said.
It shows the enduring nature of the Beckham name and brand, his reputation for special moments and the voluminous footage of him in action that Saka has this strong memory of him as an England player. Or Saka has switched on American TV and seen Beckham in most commercial breaks.
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Talking to one of the Argentinian reporters covering their game with Switzerland here, he observed without hint of hyperbole that “Messi is from another planet”. He’s certainly good at using space. England’s players were asked about Messi by Argentina media and were typically fulsome in their praise. “He’s a great player, the best in the world, and he’s having a great tournament,” Nico O’Reilly said. “He’s having an amazing World Cup,” Bukayo Saka echoed.
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Catch up on the rest of Henry Winter’s World Cup Diary here
