A France – Argentina is never a trivial match. Even more so when the two teams compete for a place in the final of a World Cup. This Thursday, October 3 (5 p.m.), Raphaël Reynaud’s Blues are opposed to the Albiceleste, 5e nation in the FIFA rankings and reigning vice-world champion. In their recent history, the French have never managed to beat the South American team in three confrontations (one draw, two defeats).
The most recent opposition dates back to August 31 in Orléans, in preparation for the World Cup. After leading 2-0, Abdessamad Mohammed and his teammates lost (3-5), which ended their streak of 16 consecutive matches without defeat. “We lost but we saw that there wasn’t much between them and ushighlights the top scorer in the history of the selection. We had learned a lesson in realism. Paradoxically, this match did a lot of good for us to learn. »
Argentina, an inspiration for France
Beaten in the final by Portugal three years ago (1-2), Argentina was crowned in 2016, putting an end to the joint reign of Brazil and Spain since 1989 and the creation of the World Cup. “It’s a team that has evolved a lotjudges coach Raphaël Reynaud. It is one of the nations that inspired me the most in my construction as a coach, for the identity and the game project. Their values and principles guided us. »
Faced with one of the best defenses on the planet, the French team will also have to master the offensive tendencies of the Albiceleste, very aggressive in recovery and often effective in attack (26 goals scored in the competition). The pivots Alan Brandi (36 years old), second top scorer in the tournament with 7 goals, and Matias Rosa (29 years old, 6 goals), will be Argentina’s two major assets to watch carefully.
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Undefeated during this World Cup (five victories) and qualified as “best collective in the world” by French captain Kévin Ramirez, the South American country is in its place in the last four, after having dismissed Croatia (2-0) in the round of 16 and Kazakhstan (6-1) in the quarter-finals. “We will have to be able to do more than in our last match against themRaphaël Reynaud knows well. The goal is to go to the final. This is clearly the biggest challenge in the history of the France team. »
