Well done, France, they’re 198th. If France are posing as Michael Owen in this slightly stretched analogy, then Football Daily is very much channelling Neville Southall after watching France’s record-breaking 14-0 win [FOURTEEN – Football Daily Vidiprinter] over Gibraltar, the biggest victory in men’s Euros qualifying history. Spare a thought for the minnows, with a population the size of the 3rd Arrondissement, living in a mountainous territory of two-and-a-half square miles, who were reduced to 10 men after Ethan Santos’s early red card. Glory to France, who have reached the last two World Cup finals and count some of the best and most expensive players on the planet among their ranks. To anyone that took a modicum of joy from Olivier Giroud leaping into the air to scissor-kick the 14th and final hammer-blow to Gibraltar’s cause, shame on you [that’s us told – Football Daily Ed]. The result is bad for football, bad for competitiveness, bad for class, decorum and the spirit of the game. It’s good for almost nobody, unless you are Giroud (who extended his record as Les Bleus’ all-time leading scorer to 56 with two late strikes) and Kylian Mbappé (who netted a hat-trick and is now third on 46 goals, five behind Thierry Henry). Both celebrated their latter strikes like they were the winner in a Big Cup final. Some will defend France, arguing that showing mercy in football is a sort of loser mentality. Those people probably like Donald Trump and enjoy putting cats in bins, and shouldn’t be listened to. At least head coach Didier Deschamps kept things in perspective at half-time with his side 7-0 up. “Full marks boys for the first half,” he waffled to the dressing room. “Let’s have more of the same in the second. Keep things as simple as possible and whenever we can we score. There are no limits. I want the same determination from everybody. Don’t hold back boys.” Reader, they did not. |