Football Soccer – Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup – Final – Argentina v France – Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar – December 18, 2022 Kylian Mbappe of France with French President Emmanuel Macron during the award ceremony REUTERS/Carl Recine cúp trophy
LUSAIL, Qatar – France is disappointed that it failed to successfully defend its World Cup title after losing to Argentina on penalties in Sunday’s final but left Qatar with heads held high having fought until the last minute. , said players Raphael Varane and Hugo Lloris.
France hit back twice thanks to Kylian Mbappe, who erased Argentina’s 2-0 lead in 97 seconds in normal time before scoring the third in extra time to level the score at 3. -3.
But the South Americans won 4-2 on penalties.
“Of course we are very disappointed, we gave it all. We faced a lot of obstacles during the competition, we didn’t give up on anything,” Varane said.
“For an hour we were not in the game. We can also win. I am very proud of this group and being French. We always hold our heads high. We’re back in this game when it’s complicated.
“We pushed and we believed until the end. We almost turned the game around, but it didn’t go well… There’s mental strength in this group, lots of hearts. That allows us to get back in this game. We are disappointed but also proud.”
Argentina were the better side in the first half and took a 2-0 lead before Mbappe leveled them in the 80th and 81st minutes of what France captain Lloris described as a “boxing match”. “.
“The Argentinians had a great start, playing aggressively, taking advantage of all aspects of the game. We were a bit reactive all night,” said the goalkeeper.
France also reached the final after several players missed training sessions due to illness over the past week, but Lloris refused to use that as an excuse.
“We’re not going to make excuses, we’ve given our all,” he added. “You have to congratulate the boys because we didn’t give up until the last minute.”
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