Toulouse. From “seum” to the top
Overwhelmed in the first period, the Blues were able to go up the slope and two goals for Belgium. Led by a great Mbappé, the France team will play another final on Sunday against Spain.
The best series are those whose end always finds a way to surprise. Yesterday, three years after this semi-final of the 2018 World Cup (1-0) s remembered, the Blues have found their best opponent, the Belgians have yet invented an incredible outcome, a turnaround in one period, the second, to find a summit that they had too much lost sight of since their sacred planet.
At the end of episode II, the Blues are still there and at the end, bitterness is still for the neighbors. The Red Devils, green with rage and “seum” (bitterness) in Russia, will still watch the France team play a final on Sunday. This time it will be against Spain for a very first Nations League trophy. But whatever the bottle, yesterday it was a question of finding this drunkenness vanished during the last Euro and a fatal turnaround against Switzerland (3-3, tab 4-5).
Yesterday, even without Kanté, it was the turn of the Blues to overturn the table and all the dishes to reinvent a suite. They will have done it as champions, as patrons, after a second act concluded in the 90th minute with this clear shot from Théo Hernandez. Thibaut Courtois, symbol of Belgian disgust three years ago, was cooled on his line by this strike from the Milanese, of which it was only the second selection.
The end of 45 crazy minutes which saw Deschamps’ men touching the summits after touching nothingness in the first period. Beaten in aggressiveness and pressing in their system in 3-4-3, too passive by Pavard against Carrasco (37) then by Lucas Hernandez, left behind by the feint of Lukaku who went to shoot Lloris (41): the Habs had started with the worst.
Mbappé’s exorcism
Led 2-0 in four minutes of hell after a balanced first half hour despite De Bruyne’s half-volley beautifully diverted by the goalkeeper of the Blues (4), Pogba’s partners had plunged head first into the trap of Red Devils. Simpler, better coordinated, the world No. 1 played the game against the opposing block before stinging.
But it was therefore without counting on the return of the champions. As in a blockbuster, the battered boxer, bloodied by dint of being beaten, got up. To balance the uppercuts. And chain the situations, like this transverse knocked down by Pogba on a free kick (90).
Hook of the left, of the right, Mbappé was at the start of everything. For his 50th selection at not even 23 years old, Bondy’s game reminded us of who he really was. On the ashes of a failed Euro, the Parisian had found the flame and fire in his legs. And as a symbol, he found Benzema for the reduction of the score in the middle of three players (62). Before transforming the penalty obtained with the VAR by Griezmann, mown down by Tielemans. (69)
A penalty, Mbappé: the bad memories have come to the surface. He exorcised them. Like the Blues, who grew up again last night in Turin. With a trophy on Sunday, it would be even better.