Frank Leboeuf: Argentina deserved to beat France (2:15)1998 World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf says France’s poor start to the game makes Argentina deserving World Cup champions. (2:15)
LUSAIL, Qatar — After a World Cup where everything went pretty much according to plan until the final, France‘s players experienced the biggest roller coaster of emotions on Sunday against Argentina and Lionel Messi. Down 2-0 in the first half, then up after Kylian Mbappe‘s two-minute brace levelled the scores late on; down to a Messi goal in extra-time, but up again as Mbappe levelled once more with two minutes remaining. Then finally down in a sea of sorrow and regret after the penalty shootout as Argentina lifted the trophy.
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Losing a World Cup final is always tough. It is even more cruel when it comes on penalties. The wound is too raw to think about what positives to take away from the tournament, but when they do, Didier Deschamps and his players will reflect on why the first 60 minutes of the final were such a disaster and why the following 50 were much better.
Such a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance from Deschamps’ men had not happened before at this tournament; it was actually the opposite. Aside from the second-string XI losing 1-0 to Tunisia in the final group game, France had been composed, ruthless and efficient throughout. But it seems the pressure of the final, the presence of the legendary Messi against them and the noisy support from the Argentine fans caused the team to lose their mojo and forget what had made them so good in Qatar.
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