{"id":3684,"date":"2026-06-27T07:03:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T07:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3684"},"modified":"2026-06-27T07:03:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T07:03:14","slug":"he-didnt-score-a-goal-against-norway-but-the-mere-presence-of-kylian-mbappe-opened-the-floodgates-for-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3684","title":{"rendered":"He didn\u2019t score a goal against Norway, but the mere presence of Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 opened the floodgates for France"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FOXBOROUGH \u2014 There are stretches in these World Cup games when it appears France\u2019s Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 is uninvolved, outside the run of play, on the fringe of the action being conducted by his teammates. This is particularly true as France continues to deploy him as a pure striker in this ongoing chase for the country\u2019s third World Cup title. <\/span><\/p>\n

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But to think that is actually the case is to misinterpret the beauty of a player like the 27-year-old Frenchman, to misunderstand what makes Mbapp\u00e9 such a uniquely captivating force on the field, why it is impossible to take your eyes off him no matter how many stars orbit his soccer constellation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here we were in Foxborough Friday afternoon, awaiting what was supposed to be a clash of the striker titans between Mbapp\u00e9 and his hulking Norwegian counterpart, Erling Haaland, when Norway decided to spoil the party by benching 90 percent of its starting lineup, including the 6-foot-5 forward who resembles a Norse god. Haaland\u2019s absence didn\u2019t quite open up the field for his French counterpart, with the spotlight shining instead on French winger Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It was Demb\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s first-half hat trick that led France to its decisive 4-1 win in the closeout match of Group I, a combination of right and left-footed strikes so lethal they could have put holes in the back of the Norwegian net. Second-string Norway keeper Egil Selvik with no chance at making a save on any of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Yet still it was Mbapp\u00e9 who left me shaking my head in wonder, Mbapp\u00e9 who had me on the edge of my seat in anticipation, Mbapp\u00e9 who hovered over Friday\u2019s game like a coiled snake waiting to strike. That\u2019s how it is for a player of his caliber, whose heralded appearance in Boston during these group-stage games may not only have added to his 4-goal count so far this tournament, but also delivered on his star power nonetheless.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take it right from the first minute of play, when he nearly scored from an impossible angle on the right side of the field, hitting the far post despite the miniscule margin for success. With that, France made its early statement, ready to secure the group win and the prize that came along with it, namely staying in Boston to train at Bentley University in Waltham before traveling only as far as New Jersey (as opposed to Dallas) for its first game of the knockout stage. <\/span><\/p>\n

Pink cleats shining against his all-white kit, Mbapp\u00e9 continued to roam the attacking third, graceful at every turn, ready for every buildup. There he was in the 7th minute, scrambling to a loose ball, seeing a wide open Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 across to his right, delivering a pinpoint pass to Demb\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s waiting feet and celebrating after Demb\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s fancy footwork (a fake to the left, a shot with the right) made it 1-0 France.<\/span><\/p>\n

And on it went. Like a smoldering wick ready to ignite, Mbapp\u00e9 is a study in constant yet deliberate motion. For non-soccer regulars, he is the perfect vessel for catching a glimpse into what makes this the world\u2019s most popular sport, to put aside the hubris of the self-appointed \u201cbeautiful game\u201d in favor of witnessing one of the best individual purveyors of such beauty. <\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>More World Cup coverage<\/div>\n

Like transcendent Argentina star Lionel Messi, like countryman and former French star-turned analyst Thierry Henry, like current World Cup compatriots Harry Kane or Haaland or Cristiano Ronaldo, Mbapp\u00e9 is an artist with his feet, a conductor with his brain, and a magician with his approach to a game that is at once utterly simple yet astoundingly complex.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Here he is after a 10th minute Norway yellow card sending a beautiful pass across the goal. Here is with a daring left side run in the 16th minute, taking target practice with a rocket shot. Here he is, impossible to ignore, dancing in place, drawing the attention of defenders, a presence by his mere presence.<\/span><\/p>\n

And here is in the 20th minute, defender Leo \u00d8stigard pulling at his jersey, falling to the ground but still delivering a pass to Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, waiting again to his right. A few nifty dribbles, a left-footed missile, and a 2-0 France lead. Two goals for Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, two assists for Mbapp\u00e9. <\/span><\/p>\n

And finally, in the 32nd minute, after France\u2019s defense got caught napping and allowed Norway\u2019s Thelo Aasgaard to cut their deficit in half, here he is again. Starting the buildup, beginning the sequence that would lead to Demb\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s hat trick.<\/span><\/p>\n

That Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 (himself a Ballon d\u2019Or winner with PSG) joined Mbapp\u00e9 in a four-way tie for second place in the golden boot race is a testament to France\u2019s depth. Whether one of them wins it, or if it goes to Haaland and Brazil\u2019s Vinicius Junior, also at four goals apiece, or whether it is Messi, who leads all scorers with five goals, it is France that is gaining momentum as an odds-on favorite to win it all. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mbapp\u00e9 is their heart and soul, the same man who eight years ago was a young pup helping Les Bleus take the trophy in Russia, who four years ago felt the heartbreak of a penalty kick loss to Argentina.<\/span><\/p>\n

But who could forget what he did that day, recording his own historic hat trick. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course he is a top notch player and exceptional player. He didn\u2019t score today, but I do hope that the competition will still be very long for us and there\u2019s a match to come, and I\u2019m sure that with how fast he can sprint he will find a way to send the ball into the net\u201d said France\u2019s interim coach Guy St\u00e9phan. <\/span><\/p>\n

Stepping in for Didier Deschamps, who returned to France to attend his mother\u2019s funeral after she passed away last Tuesday, St\u00e9phan, like Mbapp\u00e9, delivered. <\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Trump-backed Letlow faces Fleming in Louisiana GOP Senate runoff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mbapp\u00e9 is an artist with his feet, a conductor with his brain, and a magician with his approach to a game that is at once utterly simple yet astoundingly complex.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nHe didn\u2019t score a goal against Norway, but the mere presence of Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 opened the floodgates for France - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3684\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"He didn\u2019t score a goal against Norway, but the mere presence of Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 opened the floodgates for France - 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