WELL, the first semi-final between France and Belgium held yesterday and won by France, was played on a grueling pace where Belgium played better yet they could not send the ball into the net of France because the custodian of France under their bar was extremely in good form. If not for him, French men would go down by at least 2 to 3 goals after equalizing the goal Frenchmen scored first. Besides the Frenchmen guarded their citadel extremely well even with double marking. And in the aerial duel, the deep defenders of France were extremely difficult to out beat.
During the second half the men from Belgium mounted heavy pressure on the defensive wall like the great wall of China, erected by Frenchmen giving no chance to their opponents to penetrate the ball past the French custodian who played an exceptionally good game bringing out some beautiful saves.
If France plays defensive game throughout in the final as they played yesterday in the second half then their position will be precarious because you cannot defend your citadel continuously for long since point of saturation will come an thence you are at a loss. “Attack is the best form of defense, proclaimed the Brasilian squad of 1970 World Cup” which finally paid very good dividends. While defending your citadel you also have to create openings for counter attack. In the second half Frenchmen played with fear and nervousness though the youngster Mbappe was like a shining star in the constellation on French Sky. His dribbling power was excellent though once beaten he surrenders to his opponents to dictate the terms. This youngster will be a thrill to watch in the semi-final.
As a whole the game was played on very fast pace both the teams giving their best and as such it was found very interesting to watch.
Wishing the French team all the best in the final.
A.Veronica Fernandes.