Several players from the French team give their feelings after the victory over Belgium on Monday in Lyon.
Special envoy to Décines
Jules Koundé (defender of the French team, after 2-0 victory over Belgium ) : «We were better (than against Italy on Friday), we put in the ingredients we needed to win. It’s a good thing because we were on two defeats in a row (Italy and the Euro semi-final against Spain, Editor’s note). We absolutely had to win for our confidence and for our supporters. You should never be too negative when things aren’t going well or be overly positive when you win. We corrected some things, we have others to correct. We have room for improvement. But it’s a little more in line with our standards, in the game and in terms of the result. (on the whistles against several players… and Deschamps) It’s always a shame to be whistled when you wear the French team jersey. Against Italy, we missed out for many reasons and there, we remobilized.” (mixed zone)
Lucas Digne (defender of the French team, back after two years of absence): «It was an important evening, we wanted to react, so it’s an almost perfect evening. Almost perfect because we finished 2-0, it’s a good evening for us, but there’s always work to do. We could have scored more goals and also wrapped up the game earlier I think. (on a personal level) I feel good. Afterwards, I had a bit of experience so I know the principles of the game even if the group has changed a bit. The principles haven’t changed much. It’s a group that gets along well, a nice group. It takes a bit of time to set up a new project. (whistles) It surprises me. Afterwards, anything and everything happens in football.»
Manu Koné (midfielder of the French team, who celebrated his first start) : «We wanted to start again stronger. Against Italy, we didn’t do what we needed to do. Today, there was a reaction. We’re very happy. We’re going to go back to the club to work and come back on the attack for the next selection.. (on his match) I applied myself to recovering balloons and feeding. Today, I am very happy. I have come a long way. It is a source of pride.” (on TF1)
Also read“If it had gone badly, it would have been even more of a celebration”: Deschamps’ words after France-Belgium
If we continue on this path, we will be able to achieve great things.
Mattéo Guendouzi
Matteo Guendouzi (midfielder of the French team) : «We were determined to respond, to do much better than (against Italy). It was very successful. We wanted to show a good reaction, and we did. We were very solid defensively and Belgium created very few opportunities. Offensively, we were more successful than on Friday, even if we could have scored more goals given all our chances. There are a lot of positives. We will also have to improve the negative points seen during this gathering. We can do much better. If we continue on this path, we will be able to do great things. We are all aware of our qualities and our strengths, of what we can do. (on the whistles) Honestly, we have known for quite some time that there are whistles compared to the clubs we have played for, no matter what stage we play at. On the pitch, we all ignore that. We hear absolutely nothing. We were able to respond, no matter the whistles.» (in ZM)
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