Coach Didier Deschamps hails players as France head to 2018 World Cup final
St Petersburg — France coach Didier Deschamps heaped praise on his players after they reached the World Cup final with a 1-0 win over Belgium on Tuesday, saying the lost final at Euro 2016 was still on his mind. Samuel Umtiti’s 51st-minute header sent the French into the final and Deschamps’ side will face England or Croatia in Moscow on Sunday as they look to lift the trophy for the second time following their triumph on home soil in 1998. "This is exceptional. I am very happy for my players, we showed character and the right mentality," said Deschamps, who captained France in 1998. "Two years ago, I remember what happened two years ago," he said in reference to his team’s 1-0 defeat to Portugal in Paris in the Euro final. "We will go into this final to win it, as we have still not gotten over the (2016) final." Deschamps may have bitter memories from that Euro final in front of a home crowd, but he is now on the verge of joining an elite club of coaches who have also won the World...
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