ST PETERSBURG: After the victory, Didier Deschamps was quick to remember the pain of defeat. France stand at the precipice of world glory, just like two years ago when they were on the cusp of continental success.

“It was very painful and we haven’t gotten over it yet,” said the France coach, while recalling the 1-0 defeat to Portugal in the Euro 2016 final on home soil, after the semi-final win over Belgium here on Tuesday night. “We want to savour the victory tonight but keeping in mind that the most important match is on Sunday. We have this privilege now to achieve our goals and also give happiness to the French people.”

Moments earlier, Deschamps had arrived at this post-match press conference at the Krestovsky Stadium with a wide grin on his face. France had just beaten the Belgians 1-0 to book their place in the World Cup final at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.

Back in his playing days, the Deschamps-led France became the first nation to hold the world and European title at the same time. He captained them to victory at the 1998 World Cup on home soil before leading them to the European Championships crown the two years later. As coach, he wants to avoid being probably the only one who has lost a Euro final and World Cup final one after the other.

On Tuesday night, though, during the few hours where St Petersburg actually gets dark, he was only happy and radiating.

“I’m happy for the players and very happy myself,” he said. “It’s a real pride to be here and to reach the final. It might have been presumptuous before the World Cup but the players have presented themselves with this opportunity. They have worked together for 49 days to get to here. We need to appreciate that.”

What was being appreciated in the press conference room was how perfectly Deschamps had set his team up for the victory. France are arguably the World Cup’s most gifted squad in terms of talent yet Deschamps plays them in a way that they showcase their flair in small portions, after small intervals. It leaves more to be desired but in that moment, it is that illumination that blurs out everything else; the sheer brilliance of it, the audacity and the approach of it. The scoreline against Belgium doesn’t demonstrate how comprehensive a victory it was for France. France had total control even at times when Belgium had total possession.

It’s that spring action that makes France such a delight to watch. At times, they allowed Belgium to push them into total recoil before exploding from nowhere. Every time they did that, it was like a whirlwind. In the blink of an eye, the menacing speed of Kylian Mbappe and the guile of Antoine Griezmann took them past the Belgian midfield and roaring down on the Belgian defence. A winning goal from one of those counterattacks would’ve been the cherry on top. Instead, the goal came through route one football: Griezmann’s corner astutely headed in by Samuel Umtiti early in the second half.

The noose was tightened after that. With every forward foray by Belgium, there was more suffocation from France. They left the top-scoring team at the World Cup bruised and bewildered. There was just no space. Everyone contributed to the defending, including forwards Griezmann and Olivier Giroud.

“I’m used to suffering more than my team-mates [because of the way we play at Atletico Madrid], so it hasn’t been much,” Griezmann told reporters. “We are very happy and now want to enjoy and rest with the final in five days and we want to make it the most beautiful match. When the World Cup began, we had seven games to win, now we have just one, we’re closer to our dream.”

For teen sensation Mbappe, who was a threat thro ughout with his surging runs, reaching the final was ‘unbelievable’.

“It’s the dream of dreams, the dream of the future, everything,” the young rising star of French football told reporters. “I don’t have the words. Not even in my wildest dreams, and I’m a big dreamer, would I have imagined this. There is still one more step to take but we are proud of what we’ve done.”

Amidst the celebrations, the role of Deschamps wasn’t forgotten. Just like he had given credit to his charges, defender Rafael Varane gave the credit of the victory to his coach.

“It’s he who instills a group dynamic,” said Varane. “He sets the rules and we play. We have a common idea and he defines it. We study the opponent, exchange ideas to decide how to approach this game. The coach gives us the idea and we implement it. He’s the one who shows us the way.”

Deschamps certainly is showing the way. Dubbed the ‘water carrier’ in his playing days for his role to provide the leg-work to the more creative players of the French squad, his win-at-all-costs philosophy has carried France to the brink of another World Cup title glory.

Win the final and he will join Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer as the third man to win world football’s greatest title as player and a coach. For now, though, he’s only thinking about the limitless potential of the squad he has at his disposal.

“It’s a very young team and 14 of the players got a taste of the World Cup for the first time,” he said. “Their progressing therefore is huge and I’m extremely proud of them. With this lot, we can scale mountains together.”

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2018