On a sweltering night in Munich, France finally found a way to entertain the world at this European Cup. Facts have proved that the French team’s loss is indeed very worrying. Especially when the defining figure in the game is an energetic 16-year-old whose entire existence seems to express not only elite talent but also lightness, fun and a creative spirit.
France have never performed like pre-match favorites in their six games in Germany. Here they were beaten by a much stronger team that was sharper in attack and very good at controlling the midfield. Losing to Spain is one thing. It feels like something else too, perhaps even a legacy of the extortionate football of the mature Didier Deschamps era.
Trailing 2-1 with 11 minutes remaining and eliminated from this European Cup, Deschamps brought on Olivier Giroud, his fourth substitute, but Giroud is also a footballer Athlete, he doesn’t slide like a gorgeous mahogany wardrobe across polished parquet floors, but drifts like a gorgeous mahogany wardrobe. Even Deschamps’ last stop in Germany was a show of pragmatism, numbers, muscle memory, all won in the semi-finals through the intervention of a kid with braces.
The strangest thing about France is their docility. They rarely catch up on the race and can’t seem to remember how to accelerate into a higher gear. The game has always been considered a clash of styles, with Spain’s creative system versus France’s stubborn structure.
It’s strange because that’s not what French football is about. France produces more elite players than any other country. France is not like England, where the first breath of a genius is regarded as a gift from heaven. France’s supremacy has been earned, reflecting the talent produced by an excellent youth and development system.
So why the long face? This is a team formed to make up for a non-existent absence. When they lose, what’s left is that feeling of absence.
In the end, when Spain’s young players danced on the touchline, it was impossible not to think that this was a victory that was freer, more individualistic and improvisational; this is an important event in a sport that becomes more and more Becoming more and more surrounded by your own systems, athleticism and control. Spanish football is inherently optimistic. They are the candle of this tournament.
Deschamps will now face some problems. The French team is designed to focus on defense. They made deliberate decisions that stifled their talents. Yes, there is an obvious problem here in trying to break free from England. England did not reach the final. But if they get there, the question remains: How do you beat the guy who beat the guy? England’s entire tactical approach was modeled after French and Portuguese football of death. Well, Spain doesn’t seem to have much of a problem with that. If these two wingers play the way they do, they will cause trauma to England’s flanks.
Spain will now travel to Berlin. For France, this feels like an ending. This is a team that has reached the finals three times in the last four major tournaments. In terms of numbers, this remains one of the greatest international teams. So why don’t they like it? Why did this team leave so little mark? France under Deschamps suffered like hay fever every other summer. What is the emotional content of their success?
Even if it’s England, this English version of “brain football” will give you dramatic interventions, trapped energy, last-minute overhead kicks. Somehow, France came into this match as the only team in the European Cup without an assist. They played five games before this semifinal, and in these five games, neither team scored in an empty battle.
This is not “anti-football”. This is not football, this is not football. It’s time to be stifled and athleticism relegated to furniture. Watching France is like watching someone do their accounts, brilliantly, like watching your favorite elite team of entertainers put together a shed very diligently and then realizing that, in fact, they were just putting together a shed.
Here again Deschamps has set up three defensive midfielders. But they still lost the lead. Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring in the eighth minute, racing inside and passing the ball to Randal Kolo Muani, who headed it home Door.
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It was then that Lamine Yamar created something, a moment that will surely become the defining image of this tournament. It is divided into three parts. He took the ball, killed it, and stopped. From that point on, he teased Adrien Rabiot one way and then countered with another, leaving Rabiot himself dancing on the ground. Since then, Ramin Yamal has had the (homemade) time and space to complete the third installment. The shot was perfect, going over the top corner into the goal and finding a spot that no one could cover.
Even within these closely knit euro matrices, it was brilliantly conceived and executed as an act of pure individualism.
For about 10 minutes after that, the French team could not get out of their own half. Deschamps will wonder how Dani Olmo found so much space to create the winning goal against a team with seven defenders.
That’s pretty much it. France has no other level, a bunch of talented footballers stuck in their own system. Deschamps will accept criticism, some of which is unfair. People forget about Didier Deschamps’ horrific experience before the 2010 World Cup, the waste of talent, Raymond Domenech’s bizarre proposal to his girlfriend on live TV.
Under Deschamps, they became the new West Germany. Strong, pragmatic and athletic, he is a formidable manager with cold, confused eyes. But they looked like a team that was backed into a corner. By contrast, whoever faces Spain in the final will find that this is not only a well-functioning team, but one with a rare and carefully calibrated freedom.
