World Cup

FRANCE boss Didier Deschamps refused to respond when asked if Karim Benzema could feature in the World Cup final.The Ballon d’Or winner, 34, has been forced to miss the tournament with a thigh injury.
Karim Benzema could theoretically appear for France in the World Cup finalCredit: AP
However, the French boss chose not to call up a replacement, meaning Benzema could theoretically return to the fold.
Deschamps effectively poured cold water on any hopes of a return to the squad in an interview before the last 16 stage as Benzema jetted off for a holiday on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion.
But the forward has recovered more quickly than expected and has been training normally with Real Madrid since the weekend.
Reports in Spain also claim the Champions League winners have given Benzema permission to fly to Qatar for the final – though whether this is to play or just to watch is not known.
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Nevertheless, Deschamps was in no mood to answer the question put to him about whether Benzema could play.
With a sigh and a smirk, he responded: “I don’t really want to answer that question. Next question. I do apologise.”

It is considered extremely unlikely that Benzema will be recalled to the squad, with Kylian Mbappe forming an excellent understanding with the Real Madrid star’s replacement Olivier Giroud.
Mbappe is currently the tournament’s joint-top scorer with Lionel Messi on five goals.
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And Giroud is joint second top scorer with Julian Alvarez on four goals.
Ex-Arsenal and Chelsea ace Giroud also managed to break Thierry Henry’s record to become all-time France top scorer, and headed home the winner against England.
Following a 2-0 victory over Morocco, France take on Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday.
Didier Deschamps is very unlikely to recall Benzema and refused to answer any questions on the subject in his press conferenceCredit: Getty More

RIO FERDINAND believes Argentina should exploit France’s “weakness” and target their left hand side due to the attacking talents of Kylian Mbappe and Theo Hernandez.The holders booked their place in the World Cup final against the South Americans as they beat Morocco 2-0 in the semis last night.
Rio Ferndinand believes he knows where France’s weakness isCredit: BBC
Kylian Mbappe is the joint-top scorer at the World CupCredit: Rex
Full-back Hernandez broke the deadlock before Randal Kolo Muani set-up the bumper showdown at the Lusail Stadium for Sunday.
France will be many peoples favourites to retain the trophy, however, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand thinks Argentina can win the prize for the first time since 1986 if they target their opponents’ left flank.
He told BBC Sport: “If you look at France’s weakness, and there aren’t many of them, but their left side is an area of the pitch I thought opponents have been targeting.
“You look at it, a third of the chances they’ve conceded have come from that side of the pitch.
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“This is unfortunate – [Lucas] Hernandez obviously gets a serious injury on this side but it’s become a common thing throughout the World Cup.
“Against Denmark, they immediately go for that side of the pitch – and one of the reasons is you’ve got Mbappe on that side of the pitch.. so maybe that gives licence to stay higher up the pitch.

“But that puts pressure on that side of the pitch.
“Against England, [Bukayo] Saka and [Harry] Kane caused a mistake and this was the foul for the penalty that never was.”
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Hernandez’s brother Lucas, 26, started the World Cup as Didier Deschamps’ first-choice left-back.
But the Bayern Munich star picked up a serious knee injury during their opening game victory against Australia and is expected to be ruled out for the rest of the season.
He was replaced by his 25-year-old sibling Theo, who is much more attack-minded than his older brother.
Meanwhile, Mbappe is the current joint-top scorer at the tournament alongside Argentina legend Lionel Messi at the tournament.
And the pair will be desperate for double joy by firing their respective nations to glory at the weekend as well as scooping the Golden Boot.
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JOEY BARTON has urged Gareth Southgate to RESIGN after England’s World Cup exit and told the FA to “stop rewarding failure”.Southgate has led the Three Lions in the last three major tournaments and they’ve overcome some significant hurdles during his six-year reign.
Gareth Southgate has led England in the last three major tournamentsCredit: Getty
England were knocked out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals by FranceCredit: Getty
Joey Barton thinks that Southgate should resign as England managerCredit: Rex
At the 2018 World Cup, Southgate guided England to their first semi-final for 28 years, although they lost to Croatia in extra-time.
They went one better at Euro 2020 with the 52-year-old becoming just the second England manager EVER to reach a major final.
Unfortunately, they were beaten on penalties by Italy despite leading the game heading into the final quarter.
Southgate was then unable to end 56-years of hurt in Qatar as the Three Lions were knocked out by France in the quarter-finals.
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Regardless, he’s already won three MORE tournament matches than any other England boss before, with his six knockout wins the same number they managed between 1966-2018.
Despite being England’s most successful manager since Sir Alf Ramsey though, he hasn’t done enough to convince Barton.
That’s because the former Manchester City midfielder reckons Southgate should have already stepped down.
He said on Twitter: “Can’t believe Southgate hasn’t resigned yet.
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“That’s two World Cups and a home European Championship we could/should have won.
“Stop rewarding failure. Got to go. Time to hire somebody who can win. Pizza Hut advert years ago. Enough said.📦” More

RODRIGO DE PAUL hailed Lionel Messi as “The Beast” for inspiring Argentina to the World Cup final.Yet again, Messi delivered when his team needed it, scoring the first goal from the spot, playing his part in the second and brilliantly creating the third in the 3-0 semi-final win over Croatia.
Rodrigo De Paul (left) says Argentina stars are calling Lionel Messi ‘The Beast’ after inspiring their World Cup final runCredit: Getty
Atletico Madrid midfielder De Paul said: “Luckily, we have The Beast.
“We play for our country, but for us Leo is our captain, our leader, he’s like an older brother, I will always defend him.
“Few know what he does to always be the best and I’m very happy for him.
“After everything that’s happened, I want him to be the one who enjoys it the most. He deserves it a lot.”
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De Paul, 28, is also delighted for the whole of Argentina.
Three weeks after being beaten 2-1 on the same pitch by Saudi Arabia in their opening game, the team earned the right to return to the Lusail Stadium for Sunday’s final against France.
De Paul said: “That first game was a hard blow.
“We locked ourselves in a room and had a very good talk that will stay with me forever.
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“We had a lot of belief and we came here on the back of winning the Copa America. After that first blow, each game was a final because we had to win no matter what
“The reality is that we play for the love of the colours, of the shirt, of our country, something it is difficult to express in words.
“But I’m sure that the many people who balance their problems with football, they forget everything when they see us play.
“Making them happy is a power and a pleasure for us that gives us a lot of pride.
“I am living a dream that is impossible to describe.
“I must be the happiest person in the world because I’m going to play a World Cup final, with my family, my girlfriend who backs me so much.
“We play for our country, but for us Leo is our captain, our leader, he’s like an older brother, I will always defend him.De Paul on Messi
“We also need that support, we have many problems, but when we went out onto the field with this shirt we forgot everything.”
Julian Alvarez is also overwhelmed by what he and the team have achieved.
The young Manchester City star came into the tournament as understudy to Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez.
But he is now first choice to play alongside Messi and scored twice against Croatia, as well as winning the penalty from which the captain gave Argentina the lead on Tuesday.
Alvarez, 22, said: “Many things are going through my head, many. We are all, like, crazy
“It’s very exciting to see all this, the people, my family, everything during this World Cup has been incredible.
“We deserve to be in the final. We are happy like the whole country and we are going for more.”
Messi, 35, confirmed again after the semi-final that Sunday would be his final World Cup game.
His penalty against Croatia took him to 11 goals at the finals — one more than previous Argentinian record-holder Gabriel Batistuta. He also has three assists to take his finals tally to eight.
But what he really wants is to emulate Diego Maradona and lift the trophy as Argentina captain in a glorious finale to his career on the world stage.
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Paris Saint-Germain superstar Messi said: “What we’ve done is something impressive. It is the sixth final that we are going to play in our history.
“Beyond winning or losing, people understand they have to enjoy themselves and that this whole process in this group was extraordinary, winning the Copa America and reaching the final now.” More

FRANCE president Emmanuel Macron visited Morocco’s dressing room and had high praise for Sofyan Amrabat. Macron watched from Qatar as the reigning champions booked their place in a second consecutive World Cup final.
France president Emmanuel Macron was in Qatar for the clash with MoroccoCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Sofyan Amrabat looks on in defeat as his World Cup dream endedCredit: Getty
But it was heartbreak for the tournament’s surprise package Morocco, who were finally thwarted as Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani netted in a 2-0 France win.
Fiorentina’s Amrabat was a standout throughout the tournament and was personally hailed by politician Macron.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Macron said in front of the Morocco squad that Amrabat was “the best midfielder of the tournament”.
Morocco became the first African side to reach a World Cup semi-final but will now aim for third place.
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They face Croatia for bronze on Saturday, one day before the showpiece between France and Argentina.
It has been billed as Lionel Messi against Kylian Mbappe as the footballing superstars go head to head.
And Antoine Griezmann knows all about the talents of ex-Barcelona team-mate Messi.
He said: “Any team with Lionel Messi is a totally different proposition.
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“We’ve seen Argentina play and we know how they play. They’re a difficult team to play against and they’re in top form.
“There isn’t only Messi. There’s a strong team around him . We know it’s going to be a tough game.
“We know they’re going to have a lot of support in the crowd.
“We will get back to tomorrow and see how we can hurt them and how we can defend against them. We’ll be well prepared.”
Kylian Mbappe celebrates with Antoine GriezmannCredit: PA More