Bradley Barcola never stops scoring points

All observers were demanding it. Faced with the frustrating performances of the French attack against Austria (1-0) and the Netherlands (0-0), Bradley Barcola (21) was expected for the first place match against Poland. Surprised not to see him after two matches, the press asked Didier Deschamps to explain. “Bradley has qualities, of course, and that’s why he’s here. He’s a young player, his experience is very minimal with the French team. I’m happy that he’s here. He has to be ready at all times, even if there are a lot of attacking players as you know.“. DD ended up granting this wish by offering the young PSG player his first start in the French team. Decisive after only five minutes spent on the pitch for his first in blue against Luxembourg at the beginning of the month, was Barcola going to confirm in a major tournament match?

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The 21-year-old winger was neither a scorer nor a passer, but his 60 minutes spent on the field offer a glimpse of hope in an attack at half mast and much criticized. With Kylian Mbappé, Barcola was one of the rare accelerators of the French game, especially when he combined with his captain. Without a great Skorupski, he could also have been a passer for the Bondynois (45th) and scorer after a rush (59th). Replaced by Olivier Giroud an hour into the game, the former Lyonnais was understandably frustrated with the result, but he enjoyed a rather successful first.

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DD valide

“It’s disappointing, I’m still happy for my first. (…) I felt good. I learned it last night (his first tenure, editor’s note), it was a big thing. It took me a while to fall asleep, I was happy. I approached this match as I approach all matches”he declared on the microphone of beIN Sportsbefore continuing in the mixed zone. “I felt good, I didn’t feel any pressure. I could have done a lot better, brought more speed, crosses, even shots. I’m happy because it was my first, but I could have done better. »

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Enough to give him a good chance of starting again for the round of 16 next Monday July 1st? Time will tell, but Didier Deschamps visibly appreciated the performance of his number 25. “Taking into account that this is his first start, with a very good opponent, in a high-stakes match, he did some interesting things, in his style of play, percussion, sequences. If he is there, it is because he has these qualities. For a first match, he did a lot of interesting things”explained the Bayonnais at a press conference.