Almost thirty years later, Roberto Baggio recounted that even today that penalty taken away in the suffocating heat of Pasadena keeps him awake. At night he lives it and relives it. And she gets it wrong again. He hadn’t been the only one to miss in the final against Brazil, Baresi and Massaro had missed before him from the penalty spot and even if Roby had scored it we probably would have lost anyway, because Brazil were still ahead. But the nightmare, thirty years later, is still there. When Doha’s cameras stopped, pitiless, on the face of Kane, on that gaze fixed on the grass there was the same expression as Baggio after Pasadena. Petrified and unable to explain himself. Because football, when he wants it, is unacceptably wicked. It wasn’t a final, but getting rid of France in the quarter-finals was the dream of all England. Then there would have been the semifinal against Moroccowhich is now scary but not as scary as France. Harry Kane had scored the first penalty, 1-1, he missed the second, 2-2, and England are now out of the World Cup.
GUARANTEE – World Cup that at least has one certainty among many surprises. Certainty is called France, always strong, always safe, always with the right pace, always in the game even when the opponent, as in this
case, he’s about to knock her out. There had already been surprises, both in the round of 16 and in the quarterfinals, such as the qualification of Croatia (and not Brazil), Morocco (and not Portugal) and how surprising was also the way in which the team arrived in the semifinal ‘Argentina comeback of two goals from Holland and then passed only with penalties. At the last match of the quarterfinals, here is the only real confirmation, that of Les Bleus. Goal by Tchouameni from 26 metres, the French advantage, the English grabbing it again, then they go under again with that deadly header from Giroud and then Kane makes Baggio and it’s the end for the three lions.
THE MOST COMPLETE – Deschamps’ team combines technique and mind, it’s a more complete Brazil (excellent technique, less mind), it’s probably the most complete national team at this World Cup. They all go on looking for the company, focusing on extraordinary motivations, as happens to Morocco but also to Croatia and to Argentina itself, candidate by many, after only one game, to an early elimination. Instead, France continues on its path. You have a star and many excellent players who when Mbappé’s star fails to shine (as happened against England), they take care of giving strength, substance and quality to the game. Griezmann and Rabiot are the engines, the young Tchouameni is the balance, Theo Hernandez the plunger, Dembelé the improviser, Giroud the performer, Deschamps the guarantee. The English reporters spoke badly of Lloris and this time the French number one denied them with two decisive saves, the first right on his club mate Kane, who only beat him with the first penalty. So they learn.
