The science and art of France’s beautiful game against Sweden
The frightening part of France’s ceaseless waves of attack is the nonchalance with which they come. Metrics of dominance and momentum shifts do not apply to a team which has yet to get out of second gear at the World Cup. Le Bleus average three goals a game with a front four of Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola while being 44th out of 48 teams when it comes to distance run per game. Their conquests have come with minimum effort. Against Sweden, the quartet gobbled up a knockout game at a World Cup as more of a test drive than a high-stakes match which could have dire consequences. 18th minute: Barcola unleashes the first real French shot, one that flies over the bar. But the run that started on the left wing, sneaking its way to the centre, followed by a deft drop of a shoulder to flummox two Swedish guards, and the left-footer that was the precursor to what was about to happen for the rest of the match. Barcola …
