In the France-Poland round-of-16 matchup on Sunday, goalkeepers Szczesny and Lloris will face Mbappe and Lewandowski, respectively. This is a big day for goalkeepers with big reputations.
After winning the trophy as captain for Les Bleus four years ago, Hugo Lloris will tie for a national team record. Wojciech Szczesny is the opposite number, and he is the No. one who seems to be having the most fun in the tournament than any other player.
At Al Thumama Stadium, both get a chance to shine in an effort to stop two of Qatar’s most feared forwards, Robert Lewandowski, and Kylian Mbappé.
How can we stop Mbappé? When Poland’s place in the knockout round was confirmed, Szczesny quipped.
When Lloris surpasses Lilian Thuram, the right back on France’s 1998 world champion team,’s record of 142 international appearances, he will face Lewandowski for the first time.
Saturday, Lloris stated, “It’s quite something, and I’m very honored.”When he was 21 years old and uncapped, he was in the same France squad as Thuram, but they never played together.
They were honored by France coach Didier Deschamps, who frequently played with Thuram and served as a captain in the 1998 Paris final.
Deschamps stated on Saturday, “They have shown exemplary professionalism for the national team.”
Lloris praised Szczesny, whom he had previously encountered at opposing ends of the north London rivalry between Tottenham and Arsenal, as he is a naturally quiet and courteous leader of this talented France team.
Lloris stated, “He’s playing a magnificent tournament.”Poland should be here at this stage and they have an extraordinary goalkeeper too.”Szczesny is the only World Cup goalkeeper to prevent two penalty kicks, one against Saudi Arabia and the other against Lionel Messi.
Szczesny himself yielded the last one for brushing the Argentina incredible’s face with his glove while extending for a cross. It was scoreless at the time in a Wednesday match that Argentina won 2-0.
Szczesny’s told how he bet Messi that the penalty would not be awarded during a lengthy video review only added to his eccentric time in Qatar.
Long-time teammates are not surprised by the character of the 32-year-old Juventus goalkeeper, who is about to play his 70th game for Poland.
Arkadiusz Milik, a forward, said Saturday through an interpreter, “It’s not that Wojciech Szczesny started to be such a great goalkeeper in this tournament — he’s been a great goalkeeper for years.”
It’s not a coincidence that he played for wonderful clubs throughout his career. Poland will likely need Szczesny and Lewandowski to perform well in its first World Cup knockout game since 1986. France won both of its world titles after Brazil’s 4-0 defeat, but it also finished last.
Deschamps emphasized Lewandowski’s intelligence, technical giftedness, and ability to use his body effectively against defenders.
The fact that France lost to Switzerland in the round of 16 of the European Championship the year before gives Poland hope. After a 3-3 draw, Mbappé saved the crucial penalty in a shootout.
Lloris, who was unable to prevent any of the five Swiss spot kicks that night in Bucharest, stated, “We talked about that a lot.”
“You have to be confident, but the goalkeeper has no chance of stopping a penalty if it is well taken.”Szczesny might just be the one to disprove that in Qatar.