The match concluded, and the French Team's schedule for this National Team Match Day was reduced to the third and fourth rounds of the European Qualifiers.
The ten-to-zero victory over South Korea greatly boosted the players' confidence and, by quelling the opposing team's arrogance, enhanced their cohesion.
"I believe we will maintain our winning streak and secure all six points in the next two matches, ensuring the team maintains its top spot in the group."
Deschamps stated at the post-match press conference, "The immediate priority is to restore the French Team to its former position. It's hard to define exactly what that is, but international rankings are a crucial factor.
"I hope that in next month's update, the French Team can accumulate enough points to advance further, until we can firmly secure the top position in the future."
His remarks were met with support and praise from fans across France.
With such outstanding results, no one would be foolish enough to question their own coach; they were too busy praising and anticipating.
Charge!
Until they reach the top!
...
In the hotel at Clairefontaine Academy, the lights in one room remained on late into the night.
After returning to his room and taking a shower, Maël rested for a while before picking up his phone to check for messages from Isabella, discovering that she had indeed called several times.
He pondered for a moment, then tapped the screen to call his girlfriend back.
"Buzz...!" The call connected quickly, and Isabella's voice carried a hint of playful reproach, "The match ended three or four hours ago, and only now you think of me?"
"Haha..." Maël chuckled dryly, "I was too tired. I slept on the bus the whole time and just got back to my room."
Isabella was silent for a long time, seemingly recalling the phone call she had with Maël before the match. After a while, she slowly said, "You guessed it, didn't you? I think you guessed it."
Maël's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously said, "What? I didn't."
"." After another moment of silence, Isabella's voice was slightly trembling and complex, as if mixed with panic and joy, "I hope you don't think it's too cliché, but I'm pregnant. Do you think that's a surprise?"
Maël held the phone, reacting for a few seconds before laughing, "Of course it is, I'm really happy. Have you been to the doctor? Can it be confirmed?"
"Yeah," as if sensing his surprise, as if sensing he wasn't that thrilled, Isabella's voice carried a hint of imperceptible disappointment, "Leon, what should we do?"
Before Maël could speak, she continued, "We've been living together for so long, we're as familiar as family, and we don't lack passion... Actually, I wanted to say, if I picked a good day to propose to you, would you say yes?"
Isabella became cautious. As soon as she said this, she immediately chuckled, "Just kidding, why would I propose to you? Haha, but... but have you thought about related issues?
"I guess not, you're only 19, you have a great future and life ahead of you, and you have more possibilities. You definitely don't want to get on a small boat too early."
Maël listened to her in silence, sensing Isabella's worries and even a hint of fear.
She was probably afraid that he wouldn't acknowledge the child and that it would cause him trouble.
Hearing that he hadn't said anything, Isabella took a few deep breaths and mustered her courage, "I want to give birth to the child first, Leon. No matter what happens, I want to give birth to my child."
"Okay."
Maël nodded in agreement. He thought for a moment and said, "I don't think we can explain many things over the phone. Wait until I get back from training. Take care of yourself these next few days. I'll have Safina go back to help you with some initial preparations.
"I feel the same way as you do. In any case, since fate has brought us here, having a child is definitely a good thing.
"I have the ability to provide him with very good conditions now, so why not?"
"Okay," Isabella's tone improved a lot, seemingly feeling more secure because of these words, "As for Safina, she doesn't need to come back for now. She has her work, and Aisha is always with me."
"Don't worry, I'm not a kid anymore, I can take good care of myself, haha."
Maël also smiled slightly, chatting with Isabella about other things. He certainly wouldn't have any other thoughts, mainly because this matter was a bit too sudden, and he needed time to accept it.
A few minutes later, he hung up the phone and lay on the bed, putting his hands behind his head to think about the future.
He was a little confused, and many things were indeed unclear at the moment. Perhaps he still needed to communicate and think with Isabella.
First, focus on the upcoming games. After playing two European Qualifiers matches, go home! Perhaps because of this thought, Maël's days that followed passed much faster. Time seemed to fly by, and in the blink of an eye, some important days arrived.
October 15th, the match between the French Team and the Armenian Team arrived. This match was played at the Republican Stadium in Armenia.
Maël, who played the full 90 minutes in the last game, sat on the bench, temporarily rotated out. Ben Arfa, who was in good form during this training camp, took his place.
This was something Deschamps had already communicated with him about. Because the October schedule was tight, and Armenia wasn't a strong opponent, with only Mkhitaryan as a star player, he could naturally rest.
"Welcome, viewers, to the French Team's third round of the European Qualifiers brought to you by Canal+. Here are the starting lineups for both teams in this match." Maël is not participating in this match today. We all know that he scored his 26th goal for the French Team in the last game, which may be a hidden danger for the French Team.
"And when it comes to the Armenian Team, we must talk about their solid 442 formation. The players in each position may not be the best, but they are definitely the most suitable."
"..."
"Pizzelli! He gets a One-on-One opportunity right at the start! Now it depends on Lloris! A Side-Foot Shot! Goal! One to zero! The Armenian Team takes the lead at home, the French Team concedes a goal!" The big win in the last game made them a bit lax today, which is a problem that needs to be solved.
"However, we can see that Deschamps and the other players have not shown any panic. They have not been affected by this goal.
"I think one aspect is that they have enough confidence and cohesion. On the other hand, they know that Maël is still sitting on the bench. A goal conceded is nothing compared to Maël's current scoring efficiency!"
"..."
"The first half of the match ends like this. The French Team is temporarily behind the Armenian Team by zero to one. Let's look forward to the later game!"
"..."
After the whistle for the end of the first half sounded, Maël stood up from the bench, put on a small jacket, and walked towards the locker room.
When passing Deschamps standing on the sidelines, he subconsciously turned his head to look, but he didn't expect the other party to turn his head at the same time as if they had a telepathic connection.
The two smiled at each other, their faces full of confidence.
"Am I going up?" Maël asked with a smile. If he was going to be sent on, he would have stayed on the field to warm up during halftime.
Deschamps smiled and shook his head, "Wait a little longer, give them some chances. I think we have all the advantages and are close to scoring.
"If we still haven't scored by the 70th minute, then get ready to play. Is 20 minutes enough?"
"Of course." Maël confidently raised his eyebrows, and then laughed with Deschamps again, "Haha...!"
He walked towards the locker room, leaving Deschamps alone behind him, watching his back for a long time.
As he watched, a sense of satisfaction and peace appeared in Deschamps' eyes. Having such a striker is truly a great blessing.
He is so trusted and gives people so much confidence just by standing there.
"Beep!"
Fifteen minutes later, the kickoff whistle sounded again at the Republican Stadium, and the French Team went all out to equalize the score.
They not only wanted to qualify directly for the World Cup as the top of the group, but also wanted to remain undefeated or even win all their matches! For the top-tier European traditional powerhouses such as Spain, France, Germany, and Italy, the top of the group is only the bottom line. Qualifying as the top of the group undefeated or with all wins is considered an excellent performance.
They want to prove themselves and make the fans look forward to the upcoming World Cup! "This is the French Team's chance! Giroud! Ah... the shot was blocked by Mkoyan's chase at the last moment, just a little bit short!" "I think the French Team needs to be better at seizing opportunities. Including the first half, they've had 11 shots, but still haven't scored. It might be better if Maël was there. Is Deschamps not planning to substitute?" "He probably won't substitute. Maël hasn't warmed up yet!"
"."
"Nasri! A sweeping shot towards the middle! Hayrapetyan's poke clears the ball! It didn't go far, Ben Arfa comes up, dribbles... and is tripped! What does the referee say?" "Penalty Kick!! In the 63rd minute of the match, the French Team gets a chance for a Penalty Kick!
"Nasri stands in front of the ball, preparing to take the kick, run-up... shot!! One to one!! They've finally tied the score! Now they just need to launch an attack for victory!" "The Armenian Team's players look a little helpless. They defended for so long, but conceded a goal during this most crucial period. This might affect their mentality."
"."
"Sakho!! A beautiful Header! Two to one! I don't think Maël needs to play. The French Team is heading for victory. They've crushed the Armenian Team!" "If they win this match, the French Team will take the top spot in the standings, because Denmark, who had 2 consecutive wins in Group B, drew with the Czech Team in the 3rd round!"
"."
"The third one! Giroud finally scores, he is also the one to be trusted!!"
"."
"In this case, the match is over. The French Team has achieved 3 consecutive wins in the European Qualifiers, and they are advancing towards the 2014 Brazil World Cup!"
On the field, Maël stood up, applauded, and when he went to Giroud and others to celebrate, he hugged Deschamps' neck.
"How about resting for another match in the next game?" Deschamps looked up at Maël's profile and joked with a playful expression.
"Sure." Maël chuckled, "If my teammates can easily defeat the Czech Team, what's wrong with me resting for another match?"
"Oh?" Deschamps raised his eyebrows and shook his head with a smile: "I'm kidding, you can't rest anymore, we need your help in the match against the Czech."
"Haha...!" Their laughter filled the Republican Stadium in Armenia, and the two joked and frolicked.
This is also just an ordinary day, but conquering the largest stadium in each country step by step, conquering the best team in each country, and moving forward will still bring a lot of joy and inner fulfillment.
"First: French Team with 9 points, Second: Danish Team with 7 points, Third: Czech Team with 5 points..." European Qualifiers Group B qualification situation.
"If there are no accidents, if they win the Czech Team again, the French Team will most likely go directly to the World Cup as the first in the group!" - Henry commented.
"Maël is about to surpass me, do you think he will surpass your National Team goals and assists record?" - Platini commented.
"I'm already in a very dangerous position (crying face), I'm preparing to come back and compete with him (smirking), to increase the difficulty for him to surpass me (blushing smile)." - Henry replied.
"I guess your real answer is, unless you return to your peak, come back, nothing can stop Maël from surpassing everyone." - Platini replied finally.
October 19th, still the Stade de France, the match between the French Team and their strong rival Czech Team in the same group is about to begin, this is the 4th round of the European Qualifiers.
"The Czech Team's strength should not be underestimated, the average value of their players is around 10 million.
"In this match, they sent their strongest lineup, the formation is 442, the goalkeeper is Čech, the left back and midfielder is Rosický, these are players who have some bonds with many players of the French Team, the forward is..."
On the Stade de France, the players of both sides formed a circle in their respective halves, cheered each other up, and then stood in their positions.
Maël started in this match, and after standing on the left wing position, he uncontrollably shifted his gaze to Rosický on the opposite side.
The other party also quickly looked over and showed him a smile.
Maël didn't talk to him. There are many Arsenal teammates who are looking at Rosický at this moment. If he talks to the other party again, the other party will definitely be too busy.
"Beep!!"
This match, which can be called an Arsenal 'civil war', officially started at 5:15 in the afternoon.
For a period at the start, the French Team once gained the upper hand, achieving nearly 70% Ball Control. It should be known that in Football matches, this is a very disparate difference.
It sounds like a 70-30 split, but in reality, the Czech Team only had Ball Control for a short while when they made interceptions, and they could occasionally launch counterattacks, but they would quickly be dispossessed and treated like monkeys being played with.
However, the extremely high Ball Control rate brought not only their suppression of the Czech, but also the Czech's dense defense against them.
Faced with this situation, the French Team temporarily couldn't find a good way to break the deadlock. After all, Maël's Long Shot wasn't a panacea, and it was difficult to find an opportunity to shoot in a short time under the opponent's vigilance.
"Bang!"
In the 21st minute of the match, after Koscielny's failed Long Pass, Maël realized something and began to wave to his teammates, signaling them to retreat.
They were going to release Ball Control and let the Czech Team attack!
After giving this instruction, Maël looked back at Deschamps and asked for his opinion with his eyes. Seeing the other party give him a thumbs up, he expressed his approval.
In this way, the French Team changed their tactical tendency on the field.
Although the Czech Team knew what the French Team was thinking and knew that attacking would be dangerous, they still had to do it.
After all, if they wanted to go straight to the World Cup as the first in the group, they had to rely on winning, and winning required scoring, and scoring required attacking! Who knew that as soon as they attacked, they gave the French Team a chance.
"Bang!"
In the 38th minute of the match, the French Team launched a quick counterattack. Taking advantage of the fact that the opponent's players hadn't returned yet, and those who had returned were concentrated on his side, Nasri flicked the ball to the side of his body with one foot, and then made a wide-range Long Pass to find Maël.
"Pa-BOOM!!"
Maël perfectly controlled the Football. At the moment of Ball Control, he dribbled the ball horizontally past Selassie, who was defending him, and then without any further movement, he directly Long Shot towards the far corner.
The Football drew a beautiful arc, making everyone in the stadium feel pleasing to the eye. It finally passed through Čech's fingers and drilled into the net, "Swish!!"
"Yeahhh!!"
"Wonderful goal! It has to be him! Even if I don't look at the screen, as long as I hear cheers from the scene and know that a goal has been scored, I will definitely guess that it should be Maël who scored!
"Look at his brilliance, look at his efficiency, who in the world of Football can do it?!
"Maël helps the French Team take the lead easily! Will the 4th 3 points of the European Qualifiers arrive?"
"."
On the sidelines, Maël smiled and sprinted towards one place. After experiencing the 'long-lost' feeling of scoring a goal, he had the idea of celebrating with a crazy sliding knee.
When he passed Giroud, he saw the other party lower his head with a smile, and raised his right hand as if he were a gentleman in a suit, asking him to run past him.
That look was as if to say, King, please slide on your knees!
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