Beijing, July 11 (Reporter Gao Kai) On the evening of July 10, local time, France beat Belgium 1-0 and took the lead in getting tickets to the Final of the World Cup in Russia, and it was not a member of the luxurious midfielder who contributed to the team, but the center-back Samuel Umtiti.
The semi-final against Belgium was arguably the toughest match of France's World Cup.
In the early morning of July 11, Beijing time, the first semi-final of the 2018 Russian World Cup was played at the St. Petersburg Stadium, and the "Gaul Rooster" France faced the "European Red Devils" Belgium. Photo by Mao Jianjun, reporter of China News Service
In a situation where striker Giroud was dumbfounded, Mbappe and Griezmann were focused on defense, Umtiti made a sharp fall in a corner kick in the second half, and the header was successful.
With this goal, after 12 years, France once again reached the World Cup final, and the winning goal scored by the centre-back in the semi-final seemed to make people "dream back to 98".
Twenty years ago, a French centre-back named Thuram dominated the team's fate in the semi-final with Croatia, helping France reach the final and eventually winning the team's first World Cup title on home soil.
This time, it was Umtiti who descended from heaven.
In the subsequent goal celebration, Umtiti danced casually on the sidelines, giving people a glimpse of the player's "African imprint".
Born 25 years ago in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Umtiti immigrated to France with her parents at the age of two. In the French team of 18 "immigrant legions", Umtiti is one of the very few generations of immigrants born overseas.
It was football that allowed this African kid to quickly integrate into a new environment. Umtiti entered Lyon's youth system at the age of 8, initially as a centre-forward, but then grew into an all-around defender who could play in a number of positions such as centre-back and left-back.
Umtiti, who has a natural sense of ease on the pitch, was promoted to the first team in 2011, started in 2012 and quickly gained a foothold, making 131 appearances for the team in five seasons. In 2016, he moved to La Liga giants Barcelona for 25 million euros.
In the second half, France scored in the first corner of the second half. Griezmann sent a corner kick and Umtiti jumped high and headed the ball in front of Belgian player Fellaini, 1-0! The "Gallic Rooster" is temporarily ahead. The picture shows the French team celebrating the goal. Photo by Mao Jianjun, reporter of China News Service
Life in Spain didn't go well at first, with Umtiti briefly suffering from injuries and missing for a long time. However, in two seasons, he still made 83 appearances for the team in all competitions, scoring two goals, and gradually became an important member of the team's backline, helping the team win 4 championship trophies.
At just 1.81 metres tall, Umtiti is not very good in the position of centre-back, but has excellent physical fitness, anticipation ability and accurate passing ability. FC Barcelona said of the Frenchman, "Umtiti seems to be an omnipotent presence on the pitch, he can continue to cause trouble for the opposing striker. He is agile, has strong air superiority and a high talent for defending. Although Umtiti is only 24 years old now, he is already considered one of the best centre-backs in world football. ”
Ahead of the Opening of the World Cup, Barcelona completed a contract extension with Umtiti. 5 years of long contract, generous treatment can also allow him to serve the French team on the court with peace of mind.
It is worth mentioning that the Cameroon Football Association once attached great importance to the promising Umtiti, and the legendary stars Roger Mira and Eto'o both came forward to invite Umtiti to represent Cameroon in international competitions, but they were unsuccessful.
Umtiti played in the European Championship with France in 2016 and made his debut against Iceland, making his national team debut and completely shattering the illusions of the Cameroon Football Association.
However, Umtiti's first World Cup trip was not smooth, and in the first game against Australia, he actually gave the opponent a penalty with an unbelievable handball in the box. After the game, Umtiti's handball footage was also once "parodyed" by netizens, and was jokingly called a tribute to Maradona's "Hand of God".
Before the semi-finals, Umtiti was suspicious of a knee injury, but fortunately recovered from his injury in time and finally played a key role in this game.
France boss Deschamps said after the game: "Not only did Umtiti score the only goal, he played a bigger role in the defence. Belgian centre-forward Romelu Lukaku didn't do much, with the centre-back combination of Umtiti and Varane playing a big role.
Umtiti's outstanding performance helped the Gallic rooster, who was already the favorite to win the championship, to go one step further, and he was like Thuram in 1998 that night.
In response, the young pro-student said after the game: "I am proud to be able to score the winning goal, the French team in 1998 worked hard, and we are writing history as we are now. We had set a goal before to get to the final, and now I'm very happy. ”
However, Thuram's two goals at the World Cup are the only goalscoring stats in the history of the national team, and Umtiti clearly wants more than that. (End)