France, which starts slowly, seeks to exploit its scary potential

Didier Deschamps' s men were still among the favorites of the tournament, but a disappointing set of international warm – ups and a shy start in Russia suggested that their reputation sounded stronger than reality.

This was dispelled last Saturday in Kazan. Kylian Mbappe and his teammates delighted the 4-3 win over Argentina in the round of 32.
Not only did the French midfielder cancel the threat of Lionel Messi, but also the pace of the teenager and his combination with the teammates. "The group matches were sometimes arduous," said assistant coach Guy Stephan, their two wins and a draw in Group C. "But we have to understand that we ran into

"We understand the desire of this French team to succeed, to score goals and to be creative."

No more than necessary against Uruguay, which has conceded once in the tournament and pride themselves on their stingy defense. "They are a compact block, closely lined up side by side and with massive solidarity," added Stephan,

But if one of the camps at the arsenal to break them, that is France, with Mbappe at the helm and Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud

"I do not think France has had a attack as powerful since 1998, when she won the World Cup, "said the former selection Croatia's Slaven Bilic.

"When I saw Mbappe sprinting at 70 yards to win France, I thought to myself" it's incredible, "said former Switzerland striker Stéphane Chapuisat told reporters this morning. week.

"Moreover, he has another quality you do not see often in the scorers: altruism. "
Mbappe feeds his teammates as much as he contributes to the collective

" Mbappe is not going to have a 10th of the space against Uruguay that he has had against the # Argentina, "predicted ex-Uruguayan Diego Lugano of Friday's match at Nizhny Novgorod stadium

" But that may mean that Griezmann and Giroud may not have as much attention. "

If they win, France will face Belgium or Brazil the semi-finals. A clash against Brazil would evoke memories of the only World Cup title of France triumphing 20 years ago, certainly a source of inspiration if needed to pass Uruguay.