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Find the main information of the day on the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on the 28th day of the competition.
Match day for Croatia and Morocco. Both teams must overcome the disappointment of the semi-final loss to claim third place. For their part, French and Argentinians are fine-tuning the final details before Sunday’s final.
The little final of the day
Blues still flu
If Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano resumed training after their withdrawal from the semi-final, it was the turn of French defenders Raphaël Varane and Ibrahima Konaté to be announced sick. As for Kingsley Coman, his condition would not have improved according to The team. The French management divulges few details but ensures that precautions are taken to avoid any contamination before the final against Argentina. In addition, Theo Hernandez and Aurélien Tchouaméni, were also spared Friday for a contusion in the knee and hip respectively.
quote of the day
I made them a little tea with ginger and honey, it was better!
— Ousmane Dembélé, druid (and magician in the field).
At a press conference on Friday, Ousmane Dembélé tried to reassure about the evil that is eating away at the French team. “Dayot (Upamecano) and Adrien (Rabiot) had headaches and stomachaches. I made them a little tea with ginger and honey, it was better!” launched the brilliant FC Barcelona striker all smiles. Note the recipe for the long winter months.
The whole world behind Messi? But no…
The Blues will not be the most supported on Sunday, as football fans across the globe want to see Messi finally lift the World Cup. This is even the case among the Uruguayans and the Brazilians, yet great rivals of neighboring Argentina. According to a poll by the Brazilian Institute for Research and Data Analysis, only a third of Neymar’s compatriots put Argentina as the second choice to win the tournament. In Uruguay, an online poll from the Montevideo portal shows that almost half of its 6,000 participants (47.5%) want Argentina to win when less than a third will support France (31%).
So, who to support France, apart from the French? First Walid Regragui, the Moroccan coach, who grew up in Corbeil-Essonnes and supported the Blues after the semi-final loss. But also two-thirds of the Dutch, according to a survey. Out of pure hatred of the Argentines after their lost quarter-final, concluded by an aggressive and very unsportsmanlike attitude from Messi’s partners…
Morocco without its captain for the small final
Released in the 21st minute of the game against France on Wednesday, the captain of Morocco Romain Saïss will not be restored to face Croatia this Saturday afternoon. «[Les joueurs] are all ready to try to play until the end but, there, we will not take any risks on some, in particular our captain, who will be out of the game for third-fourth place., Atlas Lions coach Walid Regragui said at a pre-match press conference on Friday. In addition to the defender of Besiktas suffering from the thigh, other tauliers of the group could not take part in the meeting either. And the coach to list the defenders Nayef Aguerd and Noussair Mazraoui, or the striker Youssef En-Nesyri.
No, Kylian Mbappé is not positive for Covid-19
Would the bad news be linked to the Blues? that a mysterious virus has infected several players in the group, casting doubt on their participation in Sunday’s final, now a new player would be forced to forfeit because he was sick according to social networks. Indeed, this Saturday morning, many Internet users are sharing a visual made in The team claiming that Kylian Mbappé has just tested positive for Covid-19. Proper fake news. As our journalist Jacques Pezet notes on Twitter, the visual in question is in fact outdated since it dates from September 2020. Good for us. Too bad for the Argentinians.
Has France become the biggest country in football?
The question must be asked clearly: has France become the greatest footballing nation? The Blues face Argentina on Sunday at 4 p.m. in the World Cup final. Who has already won two trophies in a row? Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962). It would be huge. A game for a third star. Has France become the biggest country in football? We allow ourselves to ask the question even before the result. An analysis carried out by Release indicates, for example, that the Paris region is by far the one that has seen the most committed players (29) in the World Cup in Qatar. In recent years, they have been found in several nations, particularly in Africa and Europe (Portugal, Spain, Poland, Turkey, etc.). We can add another important point: the neighbors spy on France.
