It’s an enormous day for goalkeepers with large reputations when protecting champion France faces Poland within the spherical of 16 on the Global Cup on Sunday.
Hugo Lloris will tie a countrywide crew report for Les Bleus 4 years after lifting the trophy as captain. Reverse quantity Wojciech Szczesny is a penalty-saving, wise-cracking No. 1 who appears to be playing the match greater than every other participant.
Each get a degree to polish at Al Thumama Stadium looking to deny two of probably the most feared forwards in Qatar — Kylian Mbappé and two-time FIFA participant of the yr Robert Lewandowski.
“The important thing to preventing Mbappé? It’s me,” Szczesny quipped when Poland’s position within the knockout bracket used to be showed.
Lloris will face Lewandowski in a world recreation for the primary time when he suits France’s report of 142 appearances held by way of Lilian Thuram, the suitable again within the 1998 international champion crew.
“It’s relatively one thing and I’m very honoured,” Lloris mentioned Saturday. He used to be in the similar France squad as Thuram as an uncapped 21-year-old in 2008 even though used to be by no means performed with him.
France trainer Didier Deschamps, who performed continuously with Thuram and used to be captain within the 1998 ultimate in Paris, paid tribute to them.
“They have got proven exemplary professionalism for the nationwide crew,” Deschamps mentioned Saturday.
Lloris is a naturally quiet and courteous chief of this gifted France crew and he praised Szczesny, who he in the past confronted at reverse ends of the north London competition between Tottenham and Arsenal.
“He’s taking part in an impressive match,” Lloris mentioned. “Poland should be right here at this degree and so they’ve were given an excellent goalkeeper as neatly.” Szczesny is the one goalkeeper this Global Cup to have stored two spot kicks — one towards Saudi Arabia and the second one towards Lionel Messi.
Szczesny himself conceded the latter one for brushing the Argentina nice’s face together with his glove when stretching for a move. It used to be scoreless on the time in a recreation Argentina received 2-0 on Wednesday.
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Szczesny’s informed the tale of the way he wager Messi all over a long video evaluate that the penalty wouldn’t be awarded, handiest including to his quirky time in Qatar.
The nature of the 32-year-old Juventus goalkeeper, who is about to play his seventieth recreation for Poland, isn’t surprising to long-time teammates.
“It’s now not that Wojciech Szczesny began to be one of these nice goalkeeper on this match — he’s been an excellent goalkeeper for years,” ahead Arkadiusz Milik mentioned Saturday thru an interpreter.
“It’s now not a accident that during his profession he performed for fantastic golf equipment.” Poland most likely will want Szczesny and Lewandowski to excel in its first knockout recreation at a Global Cup since 1986. Since that 4-0 loss to Brazil, France received each its international titles and in addition used to be a crushed finalist.
Deschamps highlighted Lewandowski’s qualities as artful, technically talented and is aware of tips on how to use his frame intelligently towards defenders.
“He didn’t get a large number of the ball within the team degree, however with only one likelihood he will also be very bad,” the France trainer mentioned.
Giving Poland some hope is that France misplaced within the spherical of 16 remaining yr on the Eu Championship towards Switzerland. Mbappé had the decisive penalty stored in a shootout after a 3-3 draw.
“We mentioned that so much,” mentioned Lloris, who couldn’t prevent any of the 5 Swiss spot kicks that evening in Bucharest.
“You must be assured, but when a penalty is easily taken, then the goalkeeper has no likelihood of forestalling it.” In Qatar, Szczesny may well be simply the only to turn out that mistaken.