A very different side of France came to the fore, proving they are not mere showboaters, there is plenty of steel, grit and determination among the ranks. It was a brutal encounter as they became targets for Paraguay, who added menace to the low block. No one in blue retreated to the shadows, instead taking the overaggression head on, using it as fuel. “To anyone who wants to go to war with us, this is what you should expect,” Rayan Cherki said. It was the biggest test they have faced this far but intimidation tactics do not work, it transpires, leaving everyone else wondering how to stop them.
Goals win matches but defences win championships. It is five games without conceding and La Roja had little trouble keeping Portugal quiet, thanks to fine organisation at the back and the diligence of those carrying out instructions. Another trait of champions is players making a difference off the bench; Mikel Merino was the matchwinner, combining with two other substitutes to supply the deadly blow. “I want to express the importance of the substitutes who came in later in the game,” Luis de la Fuente said. “Not just today, but the contribution in other games has been enormous.”
Lionel Messi’s dreams were in disarray, heading out with a shock defeat looming against Egypt after a wasted penalty. This was not the way it was supposed to end for the holders – and it didn’t. Champions do not go down without a fight. Three goals in 13 minutes produced a glorious turnaround engineered through a mix of determination and quality, as the captain produced a goal and ****** ist. Lionel Scaloni and Messi were in tears at full-time because this means so much to them. “Whatever happens from here on, this team gives me the feeling that it never stops believing, even when everything is going against it,” Scaloni said.
If the Three Lions arrived in the last 16 below par, the helter-skelter victory in the Azteca Stadium was enough to instil the belief that this team has got something about it. Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane grabbed the headlines but this was a team effort, from the wonder saves of Jordan Pickford to the crucial blocks by substitute Dan Burn. Surviving with 10 men for an extended period was evidence of a resilient group, made more impressive as they had to cope inside a cauldron packed with more than 80,000 people desperate for them to lose.
Three of the four shots on target against Canada found the back of the net. It was a clinical performance, gloriously efficient from a side able to adapt to circumstances. The head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, has made the team more progressive and attacking but a greater level of pragmatism was implemented to knock out the co-hosts. “We are no longer a surprise,” Ouahbi admitted, but considering they can mix up their styles means they do possess something of the unexpected and they will require that – and more – against France.