Didier Deschamps and the French national team have entered the 2022 World Cup as the reigning champions, with the goal of joining Italy and Brazil as the only countries to win back-to-back World Cups. The Qatar edition is their 16th overall participation, and they have won it twice (1998, 2018).
England's thrashing of Iran on the second day of the World Cup had many wondering whether anybody could top that performance. It is still early, but the defending champion France have given them a fight for their money.
Les Blues got off to a rocky start by giving up an early goal to Australia, but true winners rise from adversity. The team's 4-1 victory, highlighted by spectacular efforts from Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud, was matched by an equally remarkable showing from the rest of the squad.
Why is Lucas Hernandez missing the Qatar 2022 World Cup?
The victory, however, was tempered by the news that another key player would miss the rest of the season due to injury. French defender Lucas Hernandez was forced to pull out of the World Cup squad on Tuesday night, making him the fourth player to leave the team due to injury.
After just 13 minutes of play against Australia, it seemed like the left-back twisted his right knee when his leg, and had to be taken off the field. Lucas, who was then replaced by his younger brother Theo, hobbled off the field holding his knee after being beaten to the ball by Matthew Leckie, who then crossed for Craig Goodwin to give the Socceroos a surprise lead.
On Wednesday morning, an MRI revealed the seriousness of Hernandez's injuries. Thus, the 26-year-old has been ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup and the 2022-23 season after an ACL tear was verified by France.
Following the diagnosis, Didier Deschamps issued a statement in which he said: "Like the whole group, I am extremely sorry for Lucas. We are losing an important element. Lucas is a warrior and I have no doubt that he will do everything to get back to the fore."
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