Manchester City star Rayan Cherki appeared to blank France boss Didier Deschamps after Les Bleus' thrilling 3-0 World Cup win over Sweden on Tuesday night. The 2018 champions booked their place in the last 16 with a scintillating victory over Graham Potter's side.
France's attacking depth leaves Cherki on the bench
Already tournament favourites, France provided another statement victory with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice to take his tally to six, while Michael Olise delivered another mesmerising performance in the No. 10 role. Bradley Barcola also scored, and Ousmane Dembele had netted a hat-trick in the previous game against Norway. With Desire Doue also in the picture, Deschamps' side boast the most complete attack in the World Cup.
Opportunities for Cherki have been hard to come by. The former Lyon star has not started a game yet, coming off the bench in each of France's four matches to date for a combined 51 minutes. He and Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta emerged with five minutes left against Sweden.
Awkward moment after full-time
Footage shared on social media from full-time showed Cherki standing in the middle of the pitch away from his teammates, waving to the crowd when Deschamps approached him. After the head coach reached out, Cherki appeared to brush his hand away. Deschamps made another attempt as Cherki leaned down to tie his boot, but the Man City star again shifted away.
Deschamps praises squad unity despite incident
After the game, Deschamps highlighted the unity within the squad as a driving factor behind their excellent start. There was also a touching moment when Mbappe went straight to his head coach after scoring his first goal, swiftly followed by teammates to embrace Deschamps. The 57-year-old missed the previous game against Norway after briefly returning to France following the death of his mother.
“There’s a good connection,” Deschamps said in his post-match press conference. “When we need to work hard with the ball, everyone is involved, including the forwards. That’s a very good thing. Obviously, it’s something that pleases me, and I’m proud of it. We need to keep it up.”
On Mbappe’s gesture, Deschamps added: “Obviously, on a personal level, Kylian’s gesture touched me deeply. He’s our captain. The group was united. They did what was necessary when I wasn’t there. It was better that I wasn’t there, for me and for them. From the moment I came back, they knew I was with them. The team spirit doesn’t win matches, but it can lose them. Players might be disappointed because they’re not playing enough or at all; there might be frustrations, but the collective strength is paramount.”
