Riots erupt in France as over 115 arrests recorded after Les Bleus suffer defeat to Argentina in FIFA World Cup final

France suffered a penalty shootout defeat against Argentina in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Sunday, 18 December. As per The Week, riots broke out in several parts of the country after the conclusion of the game.

According to Le Parisien, 115 people were arrested due to causing trouble across various sectors of Paris. Police forces were deployed and had to launch tear gas in a bid to disperse the mob. Chairs, stones and other objects were thrown by the rioters.

Apart from Paris, riots also broke out in cities like Lyon, Nice and Montpellier. A total of 14,000 police had to be deployed across France to bring the situation under control.

France suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Argentina in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Les Bleus entered the contest in hopes of winning the World Cup in back-to-back editions.

However, Argentina capitalized on a lackluster start from Les Bleus and Lionel Scaloni's team were up by two goals even before the half-time break, courtesy of goals from Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria. Kylian Mbappe's stunning late brace brought Didier Deschamps' team back into the game.

Mbappe's late extra-time penalty canceled out Lionel Messi's second goal of the game. Kingsley Coman's effort was saved by Emiliano Martinez in the shootout. Aurelien Tchouameni placed his shot well wide of the post. Gonzalo Montiel's penalty secured the win for La Albiceleste as they converted all of their spot kicks.

Mbappe ended the tournament as the top scorer with eight goals and won the Golden Boot award.

Didier Deschamps opined illness affected France's performance in the first half of the 2022 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina

Argentina vs. France: Final - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

France stars Raphael Varane, Kingsley Coman and Ibrahima Konate suffered from illness heading into the 2022 FIFA World Cup final clash against Argentina.

Didier Deschamps claimed that it affected his team's performance in the final. Speaking after the loss, Deschamps said (via The Guardian):

“The whole squad has been facing a tricky situation for a while now. Maybe that had a physical or psychological impact. But I had no concerns about the players who started the match: they were 100% fit."

He further added:

“We only had four days since the last match so there was some tiredness, perhaps. That’s not an excuse, we just didn’t have the same energy as in the previous match and that’s why, for the first hour or so, we weren’t in the match.