KYLIAN MBAPPE and Co returned to France following their World Cup final defeat to Argentina.
And the squad understandably appeared to be in glum spirits after their efforts in a heroic comeback were undone in a dramatic shootout.
ReutersKylian Mbappe looked dejected after returning home following defeat in the World Cup final[/caption]
ReutersMbappe and Co were given a hero’s welcome as they returned to France[/caption]
EPAepa10374262 Kylian Mbappe (C) and French teammates arrive at Paris Roissy Airport back from Doha after the FIFA World Cup 2022, in Roissy, near Paris, France, 19 December 2022. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON[/caption]
ReutersThe French lost 4-2 in a penalty shootout to Argentina[/caption]
The French had found themselves 2-0 down until a late penalty boosted them into life.
Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappe netted a three-minute brace to drag the game into extra-time before becoming just the second player to ever score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.
However, he was unable to do anymore as his nation lost out on penalties to Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
And a day later Didier Deschamps’ unlucky Les Bleus arrived back home to a hero’s welcome.
Thousands gathered at Place de la Concorde in Paris to give well wishes to the beaten finalists.
Had France won the Jules Rimet they would have become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups.
France boss Deschamps would have also become the first manager ever to win it back-to-back.
He appeared to be in a better mood than his compatriots as he was spotted smiling on the runway.
Airport staff also offered their condolences to the team.
Olivier Giroud, who was an early substitute alongside Ousmane Dembele, donned a Hawaiian-style necklace in the colours of the French flag as he emerged from the plane.
ReutersOlivier Giroud was spotted with a Hawaiian-style necklace[/caption]
AFPCaptain Hugo Lloris led the team as they arrived in Paris[/caption] Read More