France boss Didier Deschamps explains why he hauled Giroud and Dembele off before half-time of World Cup final
DIDIER DESCHAMPS has revealed why he controversially made a double substitution before halftime in the World Cup final.
The France manager hooked both Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele after seeing his side go two goals down to Argentina.
GettyDider Deschamps hooked Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele in the World Cup final[/caption]
EPAThe French stars were replaced before half time[/caption]
Lionel Messi scored the first goal from the spot after Dembele fouled Angel Di Maria in the box before the Juventus star then doubled the lead after a quick counterattack.
The double change came in the 41st minute, just five minutes after Di Maria’s goal.
Giroud and Dembele were replaced by Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani.
Giroud was visibly frustrated by the substitution as he was seen throwing a water bottle once he had got to the bench.
Deschamps has explained the decision to make the change as he argued that his side was not good enough.
He said: “If we had been 3-0 down, we couldn’t have complained.
“We didn’t do the right things for an hour, but then with a lot of courage, energy and quality, we pushed Argentina to the limit.
“If I made those changes so early, it’s because I was not satisfied and I felt convinced we could do better.
“That doesn’t mean the players who went off were more guilty than the others.”
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He is right to believe that the changes worked as France did manage to force extra time as Kylian Mbappe scored two goals in as many second-half minutes to level the scores.
Kolo Muani almost paid back the faith from his manager in the 123rd minute of the game, only to see his goalbound effort brilliantly stopped by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
However, in the end, it was not enough to win the final, as Argentina took home the trophy after coming out on top after a penalty shootout.
