In winning the Kylian Mbappe battle, England lost the war
Throw everything you have at nullifying a single player, and the chances are that you allow the threats to multiply elsewhere. So it proved for England, who, for all their success in prosecuting “Operation: Stop Kylian Mbappe”, neglected to shut down Olivier Giroud. On the one hand, they could be proud at extinguishing the threat of the world’s fastest and most dangerous player, more effectively than anyone else had managed. But on the other, they were consumed with regret at allowing Giroud, the record scorer for his country, to kill off their great World Cup adventure.
It was not as if they had not been warned. Jordan Pickford was already screaming at his defence for allowing Giroud a free header. Within seconds the goalkeeper’s worst fears were realised, as Antoine Griezmann’s deliciously curling cross met the head of his centre-forward, who did not flinch. Such is life when, as defending world champions, you have such an exhilarating abundance of talent on which to draw.
All signs had pointed towards this being the Mbappe Show. After all, here was the runaway favourite for the Golden Boot, a 23-year-old born for the greatest stage, desperate to follow Pele as a back-to-back World Cup winner. And yet for the most part, England, thanks to the indefatigable Kyle Walker, succeeded in eliminating him from the game. “Soldier” Walker, as he had been dubbed by England’s coaching staff for this most daunting test, delivered everything that had been expected of him. It was just a crying shame that not all his team-mates could do theirs.
Harry Kane, with as uncharacteristic a miscue as could ever see, skied the all-important penalty. It was that type of night, when, ultimately, none of England’s best-laid plans bore fruit. Kane, as reliable a spot-kick technician you could wish to find, stumbled when it mattered most, utterly inconsolable at the final whistle. And Mbappe, the figure expected to electrify this occasion, found himself emphatically upstaged by Giroud.
There was little doubting the intent of the tireless Walker. With his very first touch to deny the charging Mbappe, he put his studs through the ball so hard that it deflated. So far, so uncompromising. Except it was not just the right-back’s duty to neutralise the most dangerous weapon in the French arsenal. As soon as Mbappe made one of his devilish darts inside, the entire back four scrambled to smother him at source.
The more terrifying you build up any threat to be, the more resources you commit to snuff it out. It did not take long to discover why England had been so worried. Even if his presence was only fleeting, it still left an instant impression. He streaked past Declan Rice in a blur, turning one of the most reliable midfielders inside out with an insouciant relish.
So quickly would Mbappe pounce, England could not afford even a momentary lapse. Jude Bellingham almost committed the costliest error when he passed carelessly straight into the path of the No 10, tracking back with Walker to double up on him, shutting off his avenues of attack. Crisis averted? Not quite. A recurrent problem for England was that they kept defending so deep, visibly petrified of Mbappe’s speed.
He sensed it was his cue when, after being fouled by Jordan Henderson, a free-kick was worked cleverly on the left to Lucas Hernandez. The left-back laid the ball on a platter for Mbappe to seize the moment, only for his strike to sail far over the bar. His look of self-reproach said much about the quality of the chance he had fluffed.
Mbappe’s mood was not helped when, having tried to spin John Stones, he ended up in a heap on the turf, prompting hoots of derision from England fans. Still poleaxed by Aurelien Tchouameni’s wondrous goal, and still seething at the refusal to award a penalty for an apparent foul on Harry Kane, they needed to take what moral victories they could.
It was turning into a fraught evening for Walker, who, with such a strict instruction to swarm all over Mbappe whenever he broke through, was struggling to impose his customary all-action style. But Mbappe, likewise, toiled to make his presence felt as spectacularly as during his four previous games at this World Cup, which yielded five goals. It had nothing to do with the ankle strain he was suspected of carrying after the Poland game. It was simply that England’s suffocating marking was blunting his effectiveness. In that sense, the plan was working.
Still, France’s embarrassment of riches is such that they afford for even their superstar to have an off-key night. The attacking trident of Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele, with Olivier Giroud the target man, was a terrifying proposition to resist. And as Mbappe grew frustrated, Griezmann took it as his invitation to fill the breach. Such a nimble and versatile player, he kept France’s engine purring, always tracking back to retrieve the ball and cannily squeezing Bellingham out to the left. He did it all, too, with an economy of effort that verged on laconic.
How long could England keep a lid on the Mbappe jack-in-the-box? They sensed they had cracked the code when Kane’s penalty brought them level, a reward for their relentless defensive work. But you take your eye off this France side at your peril, even for a split-second. England were still drinking in the joy of their equaliser when Mbappe, his pride affronted, switched on the afterburners for the first time.
He scampered past Walker with such ease, you would scarcely have known it was the Premier League’s swiftest defender in the way. Unselfishly, he cut the ball back, hoping that Dembele could apply the finishing touch. The hope was misplaced, but it was a salutary reminder of the type of havoc that Mbappe could unleash in an instant.
In the end, it was Giroud who inflicted the terminal damage. One had to feel for Walker, who had prevailed in his particular battle. But in the end, it could not set up England to win the war.
