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KAZAN, Russia – If Lionel Messi was hoping to win a World Cup – and will be 35 years old when the next tournament will be held in Qatar – he has at least released a classic, a 4-3 thriller that featured two objectives of irreproachable quality and will live forever in the collective memory of the World Cup. But if this marked the end of an era, it may also have marked the transition to another, because Kylian Mbappe confirmed his immense talent. The £ 166 million that Paris Saint-Germain agreed to sign last summer suddenly seems much more reasonable.
Argentina's defense fails to even manage a moderate pace, and Mbappe lights up quickly. All that France had to do was to defend moderately and hit balls over it. It was something of a mystery that the game remained as close as it did for so long. This Argentina has been a chaotic team since the start of the tournament, and for Mbappe, it was the perfect victim. If France has actually found a consistency that had been lacking in the group stage or if it has simply capitalized on the shortcomings of its opponent will only be visible in the quarterfinals.
It was clear from the beginning that Argentina could not handle Mbappe. After 13 minutes, Ever Banega controlled 30 yards from France's goal. Mbappe picked up the ball and ran. Banega could not catch him and Javier Mascherano either. Mbappe swept by Marcos Rojo, who caught him, but only using his arms to carry him down. The result was a clear penalty that Antoine Griezmann entered.
What followed was an extraordinary drama game, in which it seemed astonishing that France was ever in danger. Argentina may have been a mess, but its willingness to survive and endure is remarkable. Angel Di Maria shone in a brilliant 30-yard equalizer four minutes before half-time, and three minutes after the break, a shot from Messi was redirected by Gabriel Mercado
In short, there was a thought that the Argentina could hang on, it could somehow revive the spirit of 1990 when it produced a fierce victory after a fierce victory.
It did not last long. The right flank of Argentina was an open door all night. A left cross escaped everyone until Benjamin Pavard, who almost caressed a volley of curling in the upper corner. Then it was Mbappe's turn. A center left, a shot and a sharp shot and a goal of the kind of predator instinct that mark the best finishers.
Then, four minutes later, after another charge in the space, a touch of Olivier Giroud and Mbappe became the first teenager since Pele in 1958 to score two goals in a World Cup at direct elimination.
Luis Acosta / AFP / Getty Images
"I am very happy," said Mbappe. "It's flattering to be second after Pele, but put it in context, Pele is another category, but it's good to be among those people who score in knockout."
It was still time for Sergio Aguero to go back, but it was the day of France, and more precisely the day of Mbappe. There will always be skepticism about those who play in the French league, even if they score 13 goals in the league by helping their team to a national treble. But this, after his performances for Monaco in the Champions League in 2017-18, confirms him not only as a player of the highest potential but the highest quality. "19659002" As I have always said, "continued Mbappe," In a World Cup, you have all the top players, so it's an opportunity to show what you can do.
Didier Deschamps, after the tingling of the first two weeks of the tournament, was shown much more relaxed, joking about the fact that Mbappe was born in 1998, five months after France. , under the command of Deschamps, had won the World Cup.
"It was a good year for him to be born, even though he did not see much of the 1998 World Cup," he said. "But he loves football, he knows everything about clubs and players, and I've always said that he's very good, I'm very happy that Mbappe is a French citizen, and he has a lot of But in such an important match, he showed all his talent, and even though he was supposed to defend, he still made attacks, and very good attacks. "
This last line was probably pleasant, although with Deschamps, it is often difficult to be sure. This, however, was a much more relaxed Deschamps than it's been in the last two weeks, and he was even ready to engage in comparisons of Mbappe and the great Brazilian Ronaldo.
"Ronaldo was a very, very fast forward," he said, "but I think Kylian is even faster. He also needs more space, even though he can play as an advanced player, and he is also in the middle part of the pitch. But that is someone who was a world champion compared to a young player who has a lot of abilities. "
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