France are through to the last 32 of the World Cup, booking their ticket with a second consecutive victory. Les Bleus dispatched Iraq 3. 0 in Philadel...
France are through to the last 32 of the World Cup, booking their ticket with a second consecutive victory. Les Bleus dispatched Iraq 3. 0 in Philadelphia, a result that never truly felt in doubt. But the scoreline, as neat as it looks, tells only half the story. For the real drama of this contest was not forged by any Iraqi low block or French tactical tweak. It was written in the GoalZaza.A violent storm rolled across the stadium between the first and second halves, suspending play for nearly two hours. Two hours of sitting in the dressing room. Two hours of resetting minds that had been perfectly tuned to the rhythm of a match. It is the kind of interruption that can unravel a side, that can turn a focused machine into a collection of flat tyres. Yet France did not flinch. When the rain finally relented and the pitch was deemed playable, they returned with the same composure they had shown before the tempest.That, for my money, is the mark of a side that has more than just talent. It has temperament. The clinical finishing was there, of course. The transitional play was crisp. But the ability to weather a literal storm and then resume business as usual That is the stuff of champions. You cannot coach that. You either have it in your bones or you do not, and this French squad appears to have it in spades.Was Iraq ever really in this No. They sat deep, they fought for scraps, but they never truly threatened Hugo Lloris. The real opponent for France was the clock and the clouds. And on both fronts, they won. Now, with a place in the Round of 32 secured, Didier Deschamps can begin to tinker. He can rest legs. He can explore tactical flexibility. Because if this squad can handle a hurricane in Philadelphia, they can handle just about anything the knockout rounds throw at them.
