FIFA World Cup: Kylian Mbappe, France make it Didier Deschamps’ night | Football News
A blue cloth with flowers embroidered on its side greeted France manager Didier Deschamps, returning from his mother’s death, into the Metlife Arena. The message was simple but touching: “Didier, we are with you.” The emcee stopped the hip-hop song blasting from the loudspeakers. The players performed their warm-up drills without the usual frolics, but with an unusual sombreness. After the national anthem was rendered, the French fans chorused: “C’est vous, Didi!” You are the man. The understated French manager would be the man of the evening, although Kylian Mbappe nailed two goals of artful precision, Bradley Barcola exhibited his velvet feet with a goal cut from silk, and his flying Les Bleu eviscerated Sweden’s iron-willed defence (3-0). The signs are sinister and fatalistic for teams destined to stumble into them, shepherded by a manager that walks without aura or vanity. The arena was so emotionally charged that Deschamps eventually broke down. He shed a tear when he staggered to the tunnel. The face of calm creaked, touched by a moment that showed how much …
