From our Special Envoy in Doha,
Before getting to the heart of the matter, let’s have a heartfelt thought for this “potichat” who will never see the gray North of England. Since their arrival in Doha, the English, and in particular Kyle Walker, have taken a liking to a tomcat who has taken up residence in their hotel, to the point of promise him an adoption in the event of a final victory on December 18. Adoption which will not take place, therefore, since the Three Lions crossed paths with the Blues who showed them the way out after an epic match on Saturday in the quarter-finals. He can be reassured, the feline does not lose in the change given how these seem to be flowing happy days in the Qatari capital. We know it, we also have one at the foot of the hotel. Marcel he is called.
There is another on the other hand – one, in this case – who is likely to see France again if the Blues go to the end of their adventure. We obviously want to talk about the famous “DD cat”, this pet that the world envies us and that had kept us so warm in Russia, but that we thought had disappeared since the Bucharest fiasco during the last Euro. Hey well no, she is indeed back, the bitch. To be convinced, all you had to do was take a look on Twitter on Saturday evening, around 9:48 p.m., when Harry Kane sent his peno almost a meter above Lloris’ goal, a sign that luck had chosen his side. .
When luck chooses its side
She had also done it for a while, we think in particular of the post found on this head of Harry Maguire who, if she had returned, could have completely changed the face of the match and the history of this World Cup for the French team. However qualified we are, we must also know how to be honest, the victory of the Blues in the semi-finals is more of a small miracle than anything else as the English were dominating in almost all areas, except for the faults committed and yellow cards received. Maybe one day we will even say that football is a sport that is played eleven against eleven and that in the end it is the French who win, who knows… What revenge on history that would be, you will confess.
In the meantime, the Blues are again in the last four of a World Cup, the second time in two editions, which still commands respect. And if they don’t owe it to their flamboyant game, not on Saturday anyway, they were able to count on a clever mix of efficiency (8 shots, 5 on target, 2 goals), luck but above all faith. That’s what reminded Didier Deschamps at a press conference after the match. “Quality is not enough, advanced the coach. In this group there is also the mind, and perhaps also a little experience. I have young players and others more experienced and there is a collective strength that emerges from the start. It always comes down to a few things at this level. To have rocked the match like that and to have resisted until the end, there is need for that in a World Cup. »
Because, make no mistake about it and know how to become serious again for two minutes, this famous “cat” that we vulgarly brandish like a banner is nothing other than this collective force which accompanies a group convinced since its arrival in Qatar of to be guided by something that is beyond us. For Adrien Rabiot, the first Frenchman to appear in the mixed zone on Saturday, around 12:30 a.m., it was “this capacity for resilience, this capacity to suffer all together” that made the difference. “Of course we suffered, but we never gave up, he continues. It is this unity, this solidarity that we have had since the start that guides us in this World Cup. It was a very committed match, a great fight. We are happy because we are coming out of a match that was not easy. We are very proud. »
“Feel the magic in the air”
“There is a superb energy in this group and it does not date from today. This has been the case since the start, engages Kingsley Coman, all smiles despite his role as a luxury joker in the shadow of Dembélé. Inevitably when the results are good, everything is better, but in general we make the effort for each other, the players who play little, who play less, everyone pulls this team up and gives their maximum. “We saw it again on the second French goal signed Olivier Giroud, when the bottom players sprinted to jump into the arms of their teammates opposite the benches. Even Benjamin Pavard, however very affected by the decision of Didier Deschamps to demote him in the hierarchy of the right side, had the banana when going to greet his friend.
You might think from the outside that kind of trivial details but it’s quite the opposite. Because it takes strength for these ten guys who understood well, like the only change made by the coach when the players on the lawn seemed to be experiencing the worst difficulties in the face of repeated attacks from the English, that he there were eleven fellows on one side and the rest of the group on the other. And yet all these little people have been living in perfect communion since the first day of the gathering at Clairefontaine.
“There is a force that is there, there are things that emerge from this team and materialize on the ground, admits Deschamps willingly. I am very proud of this group, for all the moments we spend together on a daily basis. It pleases me to see them like this. And the best cement to make all of this happen is results, qualifications. Former executive of the 2018 band, Blaise Matuidi was not mistaken at the final whistle by posting a “Feel the magic in the air” heralding a possible new great epic.