France will play Norway in a pivotal Group I final on Friday at the World Cup, setting up a tantalizing match between top scorers Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
In the competition for the Golden Boot, Real Madrid star Mbappe and Manchester City attacker Haaland are tied for first place with four goals apiece, trailing only leader Lionel Messi with five.
The top spot in the group will be up for grabs when the two forwards square off in a heavyweight bout on Friday at Foxborough, outside of Boston, at 3:00 pm local time (2000 GMT).
Les Bleus just need a draw to secure first place in the group because France, who looked magnificent in defeating Senegal and Iraq, has a tiny edge due to their superior goal differential.
However, the Norwegians have been similarly outstanding, defeating Senegal 3-2 on Monday after defeating Iraq 4-1 in their opening match.
Playing in his first World Cup, Haaland has relished the attention of the world and played with a daring enthusiasm that may pose challenges to even France’s seasoned defense.
Off the field, the 25-year-old has also enjoyed the competition, thrilled to be able to explore New York City in relative privacy.
After defeating Senegal to secure a spot in the round of 32, Haaland dismissed rumors that Norway was a title contender and said he was unfazed by the idea of playing France, whom he considers to be the tournament favorites.
“Definitely not to win the World Cup,” he stated on Fox.
We have now won twelve consecutive competitive games. “I’m incredibly proud to be Norwegian, and I’m part of something special, making history,” he said, adding that he “couldn’t care” about playing France.
He declared, “They’re probably going to win the entire tournament, not just against us.”
-Deschamps blows-
Due to the death of his mother, manager Didier Deschamps left the team’s camp this week, interfering with France and Mbappe’s preparations for the match.
Until Deschamps returns, the team will be led by assistant coach Guy Stephan.
“Didier and his family are on my mind a lot,” Stephan remarked. “I’m just trying to make a challenging situation seem as normal as I can.”
However, knowing that placing second in the group offers them a possibly riskier route to the July 19 final, France will be keen to avoid making a mistake.
A loss would result in a matchup with the Ivory Coast in the round of 32, followed by a possible matchup with Brazil in the round of 16. Argentina is seeded to face England in the semi-final, so they might be waiting in the quarterfinals.
In other games on Friday, Spain will play Uruguay in Guadalajara, Mexico, in an attempt to secure first place in Group H. This match might be tricky.
After being pushed to a 2-2 draw by lowly Cape Verde in their second encounter, the Uruguayans will need to earn at least a point from the match to have a chance of making it to the round of 32.
With a draw, Spain will secure first place in the group.
Minnows Cape Verde, meanwhile, will want to defeat Saudi Arabia in order to carry on their fantastical campaign.
Egypt will try to secure first place in Group G by defeating Iran in a contentious match in Seattle.
The game on Friday was named the “Pride Match” by local officials prior to the teams’ names being revealed. It is a part of the citywide celebrations of Pride in Seattle.
The Seattle Pride celebrations around their match have drawn criticism from both Iranian and Egyptian officials.
According to Islamic law, homosexuality is prohibited in Iran and carries a death sentence. Under ambiguously worded regulations that forbid “debauchery,” homosexuality is frequently punished in Egypt.
Belgium’s aging team, which includes Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, will try to advance to the knockout stages by defeating New Zealand in the other Group G match.
