The France football team are still dealing with the memories of last year’s FIFA World Cup final, where a gritty Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, earned a thrilling victory to claim the coveted piece of silverware. Thanks to some Irish football fans and their playful antics, the French team were reminded of that painful defeat once again. France took on the Republic of Ireland in the 2024 Euro qualifying campaign in Paris on September 8. The Irish supporters did not get a chance to celebrate a goal during the one-sided game but they made sure to pull the legs of the home fans present at the Parc des Princes.
While the match was going on, some Irish fans were spotted holding up Argentina shirts, bearing the name of Messi, in a bid to mock the French players. The event was caught on camera and the pictures of it have gone viral on social media.
The rivalry between Argentina and France has been intriguing in recent times. The two sides were involved in a thrilling knockout encounter in the 2018 World Cup and France had emerged victorious in that contest by a margin of four goals to three. The French football team eventually went on to lift the World Cup trophy five years back.
France once again faced Argentina in the final of the Qatar World Cup at the Lusail Stadium in Doha in December 2023. La Albiceleste got the last laugh in that meeting. Messi was at his best and scored the opening goal for Argentina before Angel Di Maria made it 2-0 in the 36th minute. Late in the game, Kylian Mbappe came up with two back-to-back goals to force the summit clash head into extra-time. Messi once again found the back of the net in the 108th minute to earn a lead for his side. But the lead was cancelled out after Mbappe converted a penalty. Mbappe’s late equaliser was enough to take the final contest to a penalty shootout. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez lit up the show during the tie-breaker and made two consecutive saves to seal the deal.
Coming back to EURO qualifiers, France got the better of Ireland by two goals to nil. In the 19th minute, midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni broke the deadlock. Marcus Thuram doubled the lead for the hosts in the 48th minute. With this victory on home soil, France are expected to maintain their unbeaten streak in the Euro qualifiers. They are holding the top spot in Group B with 15 points from five games.
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