Aurelien Tchouameni led an emotional tribute to Didier Deschamps after France swept Sweden aside 3-0 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to advance to the World Cup last-16, with the head coach losing his mother during the tournament.
Kylian Mbappe broke the deadlock just before half-time, converting after a sustained spell of French pressure, before Bradley Barcola doubled the lead after the interval from a Michael Olise assist.
France added a third before the final whistle to book their place in the last sixteen, where they will face Paraguay.
The result continued a perfect World Cup campaign for Les Bleus, but the story around the team throughout the knockout stage has centred as much on Deschamps as on the football.
The 57-year-old received news of his mother’s passing on June 23, leaving the squad to return home for the funeral and missing the final group game against Norway, a 4-1 win in which assistant Guy Stephan took charge of the touchline.
Deschamps rejoined the group in time for the Sweden fixture, and the scenes at the final whistle, with his players surrounding him on the pitch, told its own story about what this squad means to their manager and vice versa.
‘The coach is going through a lot’
Tchouameni, one of France’s most influential figures in midfield, spoke with clarity about the mood inside the camp and the collective responsibility the players feel to give Deschamps the send-off his career deserves.
“It was a tough game, but we wanted to come here and win this game, and we did it,” he said. “We have to recover and get ready for the next one.
“We know what we are able to do as a team offensively and defensively. We stay focused on what we have to do as a team. We just have to keep pushing and look forward.”
Asked specifically about the scenes of Mbappe and his team-mates celebrating with Deschamps after the final whistle, Tchouameni was direct.
“We know that the coach is going through a lot. We are going to try to give everything to make him as happy as possible. Today we did our job.”
Deschamps’ final chapter
This tournament will be Deschamps’ last as France manager, his contract due to expire once the campaign concludes. He has overseen 182 fixtures as head of Les Bleus since taking the role in 2012, winning the 2018 World Cup and reaching the final again in 2022 before the penalty defeat to Argentina.
Adrien Rabiot described the manager’s mood since returning to the squad as one of quiet determination, noting that Deschamps has been trying to shield the group from any negativity despite his grief.
