Mental strength, moments of brilliance – how France reached the final

Injury-ravaged France entered the World Cup with more questions than answers, but they rapidly broke the jinx of the defending champions by making it to the final with their ruthlessness, mental toughness, and flashes of pure brilliance.

Kylian Mbappe scored five goals in his first three games, while Olivier Giroud became France’s all-time leading scorer in the opening 4-1 victory over Australia. Giroud earned his spot in the starting lineup as a result of Karim Benzema’s last-minute injury. Additionally, he scored the game-winning goal in the quarterfinal 2-1 triumph over England.

Following is France’s path to the final:

GROUP STAGE MATCH 1: FRANCE 4-1 AUSTRALIA

Adrien Rabiot and Giroud gave France the lead at halftime after they quickly overcame an early deficit in the tournament. France entered the competition after a disappointing Nations League campaign.

Due to a severe knee injury, they were forced to replace left back Lucas Hernandez for the remainder of the match.

Giroud continued to attack in the second half before Mbappe scored his sixth goal of the World Cup to open his account in Qatar and give Les Bleus some much-needed impetus.

GROUP STAGE MATCH 2: FRANCE 2-1 DENMARK

France was up against their first significant test of the competition after dropping their previous two games to Denmark in June and September.

Seven minutes after Mbappe’s goal in the 61st minute of a tense match, Andreas Christiansen headed in the equalizer.

However, Mbappe successfully cleared the goal line from Antoine Griezmann’s cross with four minutes left to send France into the round of 16 with one match remaining.

GROUP STAGE MATCH 3: FRANCE 0-1 TUNISIA

Nine changes were made by Didier Deschamps for the game because his squad was practically certain to win Group D.

The supporting cast fell short of expectations as Wahbi Khazri scored the lone goal prior to the hour. Griezmann’s equalizer in stoppage time was overruled for offside following a VAR review that was started after the final whistle.

The FFF complained to Fifa about the goal being removed, but the governing body disregarded it.

LAST 16: FRANCE 3-1 POLAND

Following a brief period of difficulty for France, Giroud scored the opening goal to surpass Thierry Henry as the country’s all-time leading scorer with 52 goals.

Mbappe’s last-second goals for Les Bleus, his fourth and fifth goals of the competition, gave them the victory. He sent the first one under the crossbar and the second one into the far right corner.

A Robert Lewandowski penalty in stoppage time helped Poland cut the deficit.

QUARTER-FINAL: ENGLAND 1-2 FRANCE

At the end of a tense match, France won. Aurelien Tchouameni’s 25-yard goal gave them the lead, but they were pegged back early in the second half when Harry Kane successfully converted a penalty following a Tchouameni foul.

When Giroud’s header from Griezmann’s precise cross gave the French the lead again, they appeared to be in trouble at times, but they handled the pressure well and let their experience speak for itself.

With a late penalty, Kane had a great opportunity to make it even, but his shot went over the crossbar.

“Despite giving up two penalties, we had a little bit of luck. With all of our heart and soul, we maintained our lead “Deschamps declared.

SEMI-FINAL: FRANCE 2-0 MOROCCO

Early on, France lost control of the ball because they were all too aware that Morocco loved to defend deeply and look to punish their opponents on the break.

Theo Hernandez’s high-hooked volley gave them the lead after five minutes and forced their opponents to take the initiative. Morocco displayed brave play and deserved to tie the game up before halftime.

Despite being added to the starting XI at the last minute due to Dayot Upamecano’s illness, France defended with composure as Ubrahima Konate proved untouchable at center defense.

Giroud missed the post in the 17th minute, which would have prevented him from scoring before halftime.

However, it was all over just 44 seconds after coming on as a replacement when Randal Kolo Muani beat Yassine Bounou from close range following some outstanding Mbappe work in the area.

In the World Cup final on Sunday at the Lusail Stadium, France will face Argentina, who are also aiming to win the tournament for a third time.

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