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Two days before meeting Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in Qatar, two other players in the ranks of the French national team caught colds, namely Raphael Varane and Ibrahim Konate, the midfield duo who played in the semi-finals -final against Morocco. Despite the reassurances of the “galli” environment, fears of a spread of the “epidemic” among the players dominate the coaching staff, knowing that midfielder Adrien Rabiot and defender Daewoo Upamecano missed the semi-final against the “Atlas Lions” for the same reason, and that striker Kingsley Coman had also been isolated from the rest of his colleagues for medical reasons.
Two other players of the French “roosters”, defense posts Raphael Varane and Ibrahim Konate, were infected with the cold virus that appeared in the national team a few days ago and which forced coach Didier Deschamps to replace two elements of his starting line-up in the semi-final of the Qatar 2022 World Cup against Morocco, which are midfielder Adrien Rabiot and defender Daewoo Upamecano. The attacker, Kingsley Coman, was isolated from the rest of his colleagues, including for medical reasons.
These injuries raise the concerns of the coaching staff, two days before the close confrontation against Argentine Lionel Messi in the final scheduled for Sunday at the Lusail Stadium.
Osman Dembele, the forward of the “Roosters”, said on Friday afternoon in an interview with the press in the team’s training camps that “everyone is bound by the health measures” imposed during the spread of infectious diseases such as the Corona virus. He added: “The patients have been isolated within their rooms and are receiving good treatment from the medical staff. We respect the sanitary regulations required in these cases, as we wash our hands every time and do not shake hands.”
He went on to say that the situation “doesn’t worry anyone” and that “things are going the right way”. In turn, Randall Kolo Mwani, who scored the second goal against Morocco in the semifinal (2-0), said it was a slight transient cold.
Will Deschamps have to adjust his formation against Argentina, or will Varane and Konate be able to regain strength?
Recall that France and Argentina have met 12 times since 1930, including three at the World Cup (1930, 1978, 2018).
Argentina clearly lead in head to head matches, with six wins, three games for France and three draws. France scored 11 goals and conceded 15.
The last meeting between them was on June 30, 2018 in Kazan in the final of the 2018 World Cup. On the way to their second title after 1998, the French won 4-3.
Alaoua Miziani, delegate of France 24 in Doha
