French Media Tear Into Dembele and Giroud After World Cup Final Loss

French Media Tear Into Dembele and Giroud After World Cup Final Loss

Chukwu Ikechukwu
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:20 PM
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  • Ousmane Dembele and Oliver Giroud have received backlash from the French media
  • The pair were hooked off by manager Didier Deschamps before half-time in the final
  • France failed to retain their World Cup title after losing 4-2 on penalties to Argentina

Ousmane Dembele and Oliver Giroud have not been spared by French Media outfit L’Equipe, following France’s World Cup final loss to Argentina.

Dembele conceded a penalty against Argentina while Giroud barely had a touch of the ball, before both players were substituted in the first half after France had gone 2-0 down.

Ousmane Dembele, Oliver Giroud, France, Argentina, Qatar 2022, FIFA World Cup
Ousmane Dembele and Oliver Giroud are facing backlash from the French media back home after their poor performance in the World Cup final. Photo by Michael Regan.
Source: Getty Images

According to Caught Offside, both Dembele and Giroud were not given a score in L’Equipe’s post-match player ratings, as they decided the two players were not worthy of that consideration.

The French publication had written a brutal assessment of Dembele’s performance, stating the Barcelona player’s showings for forty minutes were unworthy of a World Cup final.

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L’Equipe also described Giroud as 'the great story' in the France team that ended on '41 minutes disputed and these poor 12 balls touched'.

Gary Neville blasts Dembele's display

Meanwhile, Dembele’s performance in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has come under immense criticism by ex-Manchester United defender Gary Neville, TBR Football reports.

Neville described Dembele’s performance for Les Bleus in the final as ‘pathetic and embarrassing’, after the winger conceded a penalty before being yanked off in the first half.

France failed to defend the World Cup title after they lost 4-2 via penalties in the final to Argentina, after an enthralling 3-3 draw after extra time.

Why Giroud, Dembele were subtituted

Earlier, Sports Brief reported the two-time champions found themselves 2-0 down thanks to Lionel Messi's penalty and Angel Di Maria's team goal after just 36 minutes.

France coach Deschamps wasted no time in making the changes, as Les Bleus tried to claw their way back into the contest.

Four minutes to the end of the first half, Deschamps substituted AC Milan forward Giroud and Barcelona winger Dembele, for Mochengladbach forward Marcus Thuram and Eintracht Frankfurt man Randal Kolo Muani.

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Chukwu Ikechukwu
Chukwu Ikechukwu Godwin is a journalist with over 9 years of experience in the Nigerian media industry. He has worked both in Radio (Today FM, Rhythm FM, Wish FM) and Television (Silverbird TV) as a Sports Analyst..
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