IIn the end, it took a reluctant moment of light, a moment that seemed to resonate just a little with the noise beyond the pitch, to settle a cold, grey match at the cold, grey MerkurSpiel Arena in Düsseldorf.
Sport is often confused with politics. Sometimes, and these days, deliberately, sport becomes politics. Here we are. We are the dreamers. And let us not forget Qatar’s ghostly ode to the missing workers involved in its sporting power grab.
Randal Kolo Mouani’s starring role in France’s only goal against Belgium was threefold: most simply, it was a key moment in the tournament, and France won a game with ease that had all the fluidity and easy-going movement of a rugby scrum that so often collapses.
It was a good moment for Kolo Muani, who had been injured and out of form for some time and already had some scars in his career with France, and Didier Deschamps brought him on with 10 minutes to go. He ran with enthusiasm and gave France a few more chances in the attacking moments.
With 85 minutes gone, the ball flew a little too fast in front of the Belgian defence before it fell to Kolo Muani. In a game that hadn’t had time or space up to that point, he had time to turn and shoot. A deflection from Jan Vertonghen sent the ball soaring into the Belgian net and into an own goal according to UEFA, but it was enough to settle a chaotic game in which France deserved to win as Belgium had barely played any initiative.
France advanced to the quarterfinals in Hamburg on Friday. As the final whistle blew, Kolo Muani was grabbed, hugged and coddled by his teammates. In the circumstances, it felt like a moment when sport was about to give something, an asterisk to the wider world, even if just for a brief moment.
The pressure is on for France in this tournament. There are doubts about the tradition and reach of this group. Some like to say that England has a talent pool that the world would envy. Imagine if that were true. And if they were the world’s biggest talent exporter in football, with the best players in the world, France would be France. That comes with a heavy burden to carry.
There are other factors at play here, too, the most obvious being that this France team has a successful and highly visible player like Kolo Mouani, which is generally at odds with the immigration-obsessed far-right Rally National party that won the largest single majority in last night’s parliamentary elections.
The RN is calling for tighter controls over citizenship. They want to restrict access to certain jobs for people they deem not French enough. Kolo Mouani’s parents were born in Kinshasa. He has dual nationality. He and his teammates embody the image of a happy, functioning person from deep within French society.
Afterwards, Jules Koundé said: “I am disappointed to see that France is moving in the direction of strongly supporting a party that is opposed to our values. The far-right party, the Rally National, is against freedom and against our coexistence.”
For now, French footballers seem like an island of tranquility compared to the rest of the country. As the tournament began, President Emmanuel Macron called elections. The next round is looming. Left-wing parties still have an advantage in terms of combined votes. But France is still wasting time on the issue, coming the closest it has come to electing its first far-right prime minister since the wartime Vichy government.
When it comes to soccer, there’s a deep history here: the Rally National is the same Le Pen offshoot that made France’s 1998 World Cup Rainbow Team a feature of its race-based politics, dismissing future world champions like Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Lilian Thuram as not French enough.
After newsletter promotion
Members of the current team are calling for democratic action against the current system. Kylian Mbappé has said he hopes he will still be able to wear the France shirt with pride after the elections. This is more than just symbolism or an uplifting badge. It is a direct and antagonistic threat to these young French people and their place in the culture. These voices have been heard throughout football for the past two weeks.
And so the night in Düsseldorf gave us, however briefly, a moment that was a little bigger than a match, which, frankly, is no bad thing, because for the most part it was like watching the high-stakes knockout round of the World Knitting Championships.
Football happened, the passes were crisp and precise and unmistakable, this could have basically gone on forever, and Belgian and French players would have peacefully coexisted on the same pitch for the next 30 or 40 years.
Deschamps dropped the wingers and reorganised his team into a tougher 4-4-2. The result was heavy, authentic tournament football. France played their best in the second half like a fearless England, like a good England without fear, like a good England without anger or fear. Well, maybe not like England. But Gareth Southgate has his playbook, his Deschamps notebook. Here’s what you might have picked up.
Mbappe was actively involved at times. Mbappe is essential to the team, not only because of his influence but also because other players are in place to cover for him. It would be wrong to say that Mbappe is a bad defender. No one knows for sure. He could be great at defending, we just don’t explore the possibility.
Matches are always about the little things. When it was over, Kolo Muani was still smiling as he was mobbed, slapped on the back and led off to speak to French television. This was the player who could have helped France win the World Cup in Qatar, but then Emiliano Martinez pulled off a magnificent save with the game’s final seconds in the game. “I’ll never forget it,” Kolo Muani said at the time. Now, he has a different memory.
