The French national team made it to the 2018 World Cup Finals where they will face Croatia. This is the first time that France is making it to the tournament final since 2006. France won its first and only World Cup title in 1998 and if all goes in their favour, they will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 1998 win with another one!
France has a powerful squad that has collectively brought them this far in the competition. Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba particularly played a crucial role in bringing their immensely talented squad to the face-off with Croatia on the global stage. Everything is on stake for this talented lot; they cannot afford to pass this one up.
France has not given up a single goal in the last two matches it has played. They beat Belgium 1-0 in their Tuesday match and defeated Uruguay 0-2 last Friday. The team has an astounding goal-scoring ability that makes them a tough team to beat. The energy within the team is all-rounded and their coordination on the field is remarkable. Anyone going against them would certainly have to work for it.
France’s Competition History
The 2018 World Cup marks France’s 15th appearance at the tournament. France is one of the 4 European teams that were part of the inaugural World Cup in 1930. It is also one of the 8 national teams to have earned the title of FIFA World Cup champions at least once. France’s winning match in 1998 was on its home soil; the team beat Brazil 3-0 in the finals. In 1938, the tournament was again hosted on French soil; however, the French national team was eliminated by defending champions Italy in the quarter-finals. In 2006, during their last World Cup tournament, France finished as runners-up, losing 5-3 on penalties to Italy.
A team rich with Talent
France’s squad is made up of talented and youthful stars and this is a valued combination for any football team. The team has goalkeepers Alphonse Areola (Paris Saint-Germain), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), and Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur). Its defenders are Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid), Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City), Adil Rami (Marseille), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart), and Djibril Sidibe (Monaco). The team’s midfielders are Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Steven Nzonzi (Sevilla), Ngolo Kante (Chelsea), Blaise Matuidi (Juventus), and Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich). Its forwards are Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona), Thomas Lemar (Monaco), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), and Florian Thauvin (Marseille).
Some of the team players to watch in the World Cup final are Kylian Mbappe, the 19-year-old with speed and skill, Paul Pogba who has only shown impressive performances on the field, and Ngolo Kante who has been one of the most outstanding in the team and at the tournament.
France’s group simply works and is as strong as any other team. In spite of losing Laurent Koscielny and possibly Dimitri Payet to injury, the Les Bleus still have a strong shot at becoming 2018 FIFA World Cup champions.