Jules Kounde's World Cup final performance has been heavily scrutinised by some media outlets. The defender struggled to deal with the likes of Angel Di Maria as France conceded three goals in 120 minutes before losing on penalties to Argentina.
The French defenders struggled on Sunday night, but Kounde's performance at right-back - a position he rarely plays - came under severe criticism. Argentina made use of Di Maria, their only natural winger, on Kounde's side.
Although Kounde was not directly involved in the incident, Di Maria won a penalty after good work on that side, leading to Lionel Messi's opening goal. Then, following a flowing Argentina move, Di Maria made it two before half-time as his side took control of the final.
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It looked as though they were going to cruise to the finish line but Kylian Mbappe exploded into life at the right time for Les Bleus. A goal from the penalty spot in the 80th minute gave France some momentum before the PSG superstar's incredible volley levelled things up.
Argentina managed to hold on until the end of injury time but luckily, they found some energy in extra-time. Messi's second of the game restored their lead, but Mbappe's 118th minute penalty meant that football's biggest prize had to be settled on spot kicks.
Emiliano Martinez won the mind games from 12-yards as he firstly saved Kingsley Coman's attempt before Aurelien Tchouameni put his effort wide. On the other hand, Argentina didn't miss any of their four attempts, resulting in a first World Cup trophy since 1986.
Plenty of outlets have had their say on the players' performances since. Whilst Messi and Mbappe will get most of the headlines, some, including Get Football News France, have slammed Kounde. They said: "Jules Kounde, 4 – The Barcelona player was made to look very average (at best) by Di Maria. It is an established fact that as a centre-back, he provides little attacking thrust as a right-back.
"That is accepted by Deschamps, who deploys an asymmetrical back-four. However, when he is bettered by his opponent, as he was against Di Maria, his selection becomes more questionable."
Kounde chose to move to Barcelona in the summer despite the Blues' long-term interest in his services. Thomas Tuchel was keen on adding to his defence at the time, with Kounde revealed to be one of Chelsea's priority targets. However, a deal never materialised.
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