ReportWire

Tag: 1998 FIFA World Cup

  • Big day at World Cup looms for France, Poland goalkeepers

    Big day at World Cup looms for France, Poland goalkeepers

    [ad_1]

    DOHA, Qatar — It’s a huge day for goalkeepers with big reputations when defending champion France faces Poland in the round of 16 at the World Cup on Sunday.

    Hugo Lloris will tie a national team record for Les Bleus four years after lifting the trophy as captain. Opposite number Wojciech Szczęsny is a penalty-saving, wise-cracking No. 1 who seems to be enjoying the tournament more than any other player.

    Both get a stage to shine at Al Thumama Stadium trying to deny two of the most feared forwards in Qatar — Kylian Mbappé and two-time FIFA player of the year Robert Lewandowski.

    “The key to stopping Mbappé? It’s me,” Szczęsny quipped when Poland’s place in the knockout bracket was confirmed.

    Lloris will face Lewandowski in an international game for the first time when he matches France’s record of 142 appearances held by Lilian Thuram, the right back in the 1998 world champion team.

    “It’s quite something and I’m very honored,” Lloris said Saturday. He was in the same France squad as Thuram as an uncapped 21-year-old in 2008 though was never played with him.

    France coach Didier Deschamps, who played often with Thuram and was captain in the 1998 final in Paris, paid tribute to them.

    “They have shown exemplary professionalism for the national team,” Deschamps said Saturday.

    Lloris is a naturally quiet and courteous leader of this talented France team and he praised Szczęsny, who he previously faced at opposite ends of the north London rivalry between Tottenham and Arsenal.

    “He’s playing a magnificent tournament,” Lloris said. “Poland deserve to be here at this stage and they’ve got a great goalkeeper as well.”

    Szczęsny is the only goalkeeper this World Cup to have saved two spot kicks — one against Saudi Arabia and the second against Lionel Messi. Szczęsny himself conceded the latter one for brushing the Argentina great’s face with his glove when stretching for a cross. It was scoreless at the time in a game Argentina won 2-0 on Wednesday.

    Szczęsny’s told the story of how he bet Messi during a lengthy video review that the penalty wouldn’t be awarded, only adding to his quirky time in Qatar.

    The character of the 32-year-old Juventus goalkeeper, who is set to play his 70th game for Poland, is no surprise to long-time teammates.

    “It’s not that Wojciech Szczęsny started to be such a great goalkeeper in this tournament — he’s been a great goalkeeper for years,” forward Arkadiusz Milik said Saturday through an interpreter. “It’s not a coincidence that in his career he played for wonderful clubs.”

    Poland likely will need Szczęsny and Lewandowski to excel in its first knockout game at a World Cup since 1986. Since that 4-0 loss to Brazil, France won both its world titles and also was a beaten finalist.

    Deschamps highlighted Lewandowski’s qualities as clever, technically gifted and knows how to use his body intelligently against defenders.

    “He didn’t get a lot of the ball in the group stage, but with just one chance he can be very dangerous,” the France coach said.

    Giving Poland some hope is that France lost in the round of 16 last year at the European Championship against Switzerland. Mbappé had the decisive penalty saved in a shootout after a 3-3 draw.

    “We talked about that a lot,” said Lloris, who couldn’t stop any of the five Swiss spot kicks that night in Bucharest. “You have to be confident, but if a penalty is well taken, then the goalkeeper has no chance of stopping it.”

    In Qatar, Szczęsny might be just the one to prove that wrong.

    ———

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • France can win WCup group in style, Tunisia simply must win

    France can win WCup group in style, Tunisia simply must win

    [ad_1]

    DOHA, Qatar — Defending champion France has not won its three World Cup group-stage matches since winning its first title in 1998.

    Tunisia hasn’t even won three matches in its World Cup history, but must beat France on Wednesday to have any chance of advancing to the round of 16 in Qatar. And Tunisia‘s coach Jalel Kadri is feeling the heat.

    “I’m not in Jalel’s position,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “But they will go for broke.”

    Kadri said before the tournament it was his “personal mission” to advance past the group stage and hinted he would quit otherwise.

    The French are looking to match the ’98 team captained by Deschamps. But with Les Bleus already qualified, they only need a draw to guarantee top spot in Group D.

    Deschamps has the luxury of resting key players.

    “There will be changes,” he said. “Everyone’s ready to play.”

    He was evasive when asked if the prolific Kylian Mbappé insisted on playing or accepts he needs a breather.

    “Physically he’s fine,” Deschamps said. “Kylian doesn’t have a big ego, he’s important for us and makes the difference. But he’s always accepted what the team needs.”

    One option is to move Antoine Griezmann up from his new position in right midfield into a striker’s role alongside Olivier Giroud, who needs one more goal to become France’s all-time leading scorer with 52 goals.

    Deschamps hailed the unselfishness of Griezmann, a prolific forward himself with 42 goals and 26 assists for France.

    “He gets as much pleasure tackling someone as setting up a goal,” Deschamps said. “He’s always been like that. For him it’s not even been a sacrifice (in midfield).”

    The gulf between the sides looks vast.

    France has six goals in two games — three for Mbappé and two for Giroud — while Tunisia was blanked after drawing 0-0 with Denmark and fluffing chances in a 1-0 defeat against Australia.

    The Tunisians have never been past the group stage in five World Cups and their two wins were 40 years apart: against Mexico in 1978 and Panama four years ago in Russia.

    Despite good technical ability, there appears little cutting edge to this Tunisia side, despite the presence of attacking midfielders Wahbi Khazri — who scored twice at the last World Cup and has 24 international goals — and Naim Sliti.

    France, however, carries multiple attacking threats.

    Deschamps has always been a shrewd tactician, with deep layers of tactical knowledge gleaned from playing and coaching in Italy with Juventus.

    In Qatar he’s kept things more simple with a direct approach that has surprised opponents, using the wings as his main route to goal.

    It worked immediately, with the team scoring with three headers — a rarity for France — against Australia.

    The pace of Mbappé on the left and Ousmane Dembélé’s searing speed down the right, with the ideal marksman in Giroud benefitting from the crosses. If Dembélé comes off, then Deschamps can turn to Kingsley Coman — who scored Bayern Munich’s winner in the 2020 Champions League final.

    “Our wide players make the difference. Look at who they are!” central defender Raphael Varane said. “Going wide knocks our opponents off balance.”

    The French seem very relaxed at this World Cup, which hasn’t always been the case, notably when the squad went on strike at training at the 2010 World Cup.

    Midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni even started learning piano on Monday night, joining a group of wannabe musicians in the squad.

    “Hopefully if we win the World Cup we can put on a concert,” he joked.

    ———

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link