Zhabchenko explained why France missed out on the bronze medal at the World Cup
In an exclusive interview with Sport.ua, he sharply criticised the French team’s performance in the first half.
Zhabchenko: the first half proved decisive
According to Zhabchenko, it was the first half of the match that determined the fate of the bronze medals. He described the French side’s performance before the break as a complete disaster and noted that hardly anyone would have expected such a display from one of the giants of world football.
“I won’t be breaking new ground when I say that the ‘Blues’ performance in the first half could be the subject of a documentary on how not to play football. In a word — a disgrace,” he said.
The former footballer admitted that he could find no logical explanation as to why France were already trailing 0–4 after the first half. In his view, neither the battle for the bronze medals nor squad rotation could fully justify such a performance.
At the same time, Zhabchenko pointed out that after the break, the French played in a completely different manner. The team came close to mounting a comeback and taking the match into extra time. Despite this, the English withstood their opponents’ final push, held on to their lead and deservedly won the World Cup bronze medals, according to the former Ukraine international.
Earlier, The Public reported that England had beaten France 6–4 in the World Championship third-place play-off.
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