Deschamps' men are de champs of de world
His often-questionable methodology of 'anti-football' is finally vindicated
"Anti-Football" officially conquered the world in Moscow last night.
| FRANCE | CROATIA |
| 4 | 2 |
| (Mario Mandzukic 18-og, Antoine Griezmann 38-pen, Paul Pogba 59, Kylian Mbappe 65) | (Ivan Perisic 28, Mario Mandzukic 69) |
Continually favouring substance over a well-stocked artillery won France few admirers at this summer's World Cup.
Not that Didier Deschamps will care; his often-questionable methodology is finally vindicated.
A 4-2 victory over Croatia elevated the former midfielder to only the third person to lift the trophy as both a player and coach, yet it cannot mask the brutal reality of how Les Bleus had largely slow-burned their way to a second coronation as world champions.
They reached the Luzhniki Stadium without breaking stride and appeared happy to continue coasting against Zlatko Dalic's side even before taking the lead twice in controversial fashion.
Mario Mandzukic became the first player to score an own goal in World Cup final history, then Antoine Griezmann's histrionics which prompted his own ensuing free-kick before the Atletico Madrid striker was gifted a penalty by the contentious Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.
Deschamps' track record as a player remains beyond dispute; two Champions League titles, a European Championship and the World Cup stand out from a glittering on-field CV.
Caution and conservatism, however, continued to prove his greatest undoing in the dugout.
Opportunities to mirror those ultimate accomplishments in a coaching career which has taken him on familiar paths yet are never truly fulfilled.
At club and international level, European football's greatest honours eluded him with both Monaco and his homeland.
It was the latter, rather than a 2004 defeat by Jose Mourinho's Porto, which exposed Deschamps' flaws.
At Euro 2016, France had belatedly turned up the noise and all signs appeared to point to another mass celebration on the Champs-Elysees for the host nation.
At Russia 2018, France boasted the dubious honour of being the only team to eke out a solitary goalless draw, in their final group match against Denmark, which should have served as a warning shot for Deschamps.
Instead, he opted to channel the spirit of compatriot Edith Piaf by insisting that he regretted nothing.
His finest hour as France captain came against a backdrop of hostility which yielded uncompromising views from within Clairefontaine, the national side's nerve centre; traits which he has carried on in his current role since succeeding Laurent Blanc in 2012.
Just nine of the players from that extra-time defeat by Portugal in 2016 remained for Russia as Deschamps placed emphasis on the likes of N'Golo Kante, Raphael Varane, Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud - a spine which is more industrious than it could ever become illuminating.
It was thanks to Lloris that France remained ahead early in the second half when he tipped over Ante Rebic's shot just minutes after the restart.
Fresh scrutiny would follow later as he gifted Mandzukic a previously unlikely goal and lifeline back into the game.
Croatia themselves had flown in the face of all possible logic.
Three successive extra-time encounters suggested they would eventually tire as the end neared.
Exertion did little to prevent them from a fervent start which should have roused France into affirmative action.
That came later, with Kylian Mbappe's pace hurting Dalic's formerly robust charges before inflicting a killer blow just minutes after Paul Pogba had fired home France's third of the night.
History has come full circle for France. Maybe now they can turn back the stylistics clock too.
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