Many eyebrows were raised when Deschamps substituted Olivier Giroud in the first half of the final. Let's have a detailed look.
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The FIFA World Cup final attracts millions of viewers from all over the world. So has been the case in the 2022 edition with the showpiece event being concluded with a faceoff between France and Argentina. In what many expected to be a tight and closely fought contest has turned to be a completely different story. Argentina have come out with all guns blazing in the first half and enjoy a two goal lead thanks to their legendary figures, Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria. On the side of the French, major headlines will revolve around the double substitution made by Didier Deschamps in the first half itself, including the dominating figure of Olivier Giroud.
Not many would have expected France to deliver such a passive performance in the first half of the World Cup final. However, so has been the case and that forced Didier Deschamps to alter his setup in the first period. Expectedly Ousmane Dembele was one of those to be sacrificed. But the headline change was that of Olivier Giroud. In defense of the striker, there was hardly any service for him throughout in what was a very difficult period for France. This was most likely the last we have seen of the AC Milan man in World Cups.
Many news headlines particularly those in France will feature the withdrawal of Olivier Giroud. However, some change was needed in the tactics and formation for France to at least have a chance. The original plan just wasn’t working for the Les Bleus and the coach thought it was the right call to sub off France’s all time top goal scorer. Marcus Thuram was brought on as a much younger and energetic option. If this was the end of Giroud’s World Cup career, then it was certainly a one to remember.
