France superstar Kylian Mbappe has made clear that a new phase of the FIFA World Cup began on Tuesday, stating that the “DNA of this group” was to remain united following head coach Didier Deschamps’ loss of his mother last week.
France knocked out Sweden in the Round of 32 at New York/New Jersey Stadium on Tuesday, with Mbappe finding the back of the net twice and Bradley Barcola adding a third in a commanding 3-0 win. Mbappe sprinted toward Deschamps after converting the opener, sharing an emotional embrace with the coach.
Deschamps reciprocated the gesture, and while he seldom singles out individual players, he bowed as Mbappe was substituted following a breathtaking performance. France has barely been challenged at the World Cup, yet the squad has grown tighter in the wake of a heartbreaking situation involving Deschamps’ family, as per The Mirror US.
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The French head coach stepped away from the group stage finale against Norway to fly home and attend his mother’s funeral, before boarding a return flight to New York. Deschamps rejoined his team on Friday and acknowledged he was grateful for the World Cup as a distraction.
France continued to look lethal on Tuesday, with Deschamps having urged his side to harness its attacking firepower. Despite registering three goals, the performance could have warranted five or six.
After the final whistle, Mbappe made clear that the group stage is now firmly in the rearview mirror and that a fresh World Cup challenge begins in the knockout rounds. “I know what I have to do, but it’s not just me,” Mbappe said. “I think the team is perfectly aware of what we have to do here.
“It’s a new competition that starts today. We played well. We had a slightly timid start. But then we got into it. We had chances we could have taken earlier. But that’s part of football. We managed to score, and we controlled the game.”
On the topic of team spirit, Mbappe noted that while the squad has always been tightly knit, every player has made an extra effort to rally around Deschamps. “That’s the idea, the DNA of this group. We’re all in this together. We know the coach has been through a difficult time,” he added.
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“Unfortunately, everyone will go through it. It’s very difficult. There are things more important than football. But he needs to know, and he already knows, that through this gesture from the whole team, he knows he’ll never be alone with us.”
France will now turn their attention to Paraguay, following a stunning upset in the Round of 32 against Germany. The Germans advanced as group winners but fell a goal down against Paraguay before Kai Havertz leveled the score.
Despite being renowned for their penalty-taking abilities throughout history, Germany was ultimately knocked out by Paraguay. With their next opponent already confirmed, Mbappe was pressed for his early thoughts on the upcoming clash.
“They’ve shown that they’re a team to be taken seriously. They beat Germany. There are no easy matches in the World Cup,” Mbappe insisted.
Despite the respect displayed toward Paraguay, France has secured victory in all four World Cup matches to date, netting 13 goals while conceding only two. Mbappe has also reached six goals at the tournament, level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot competition.
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