Olivier Giroud couldn't hide his frustration after being subbed off before half-time in the World Cup final.
The France striker, alongside teammate Ousmane Dembele, was hooked by manager Didier Deschamps after the pair produced anonymous performances in the first half. Argentina had taken a deserved 2-0 lead, prompting Deschamps to make the double change in the 41st minute.
Giroud, who'd reportedly been nursing with a knee injury following Les Blues' semi-final victory over Morocco, trudged off the pitch and slumped down onto the substitutes' bench. The ex- Arsenal and Chelsea hitman then proceeded to throw down his water bottle as his anger easily seeped through.
Things got more frustrating for Giroud in the second half, as France's record goalscorer was shown a yellow card by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak for protests during the second half. Les Blues weren't happy after Argentina defender Cristian Romero appeared to slyly pass back to Emiliano Martinez.
BBC pundit Alan Shearer found Giroud's reaction "totally understandable," and said of the current AC Milan star: "He's angry with his and his team’s performance. They need energy. It's very difficult for him to press because he can't do that a lot of the time. [Kylian] Mbappe won't do that a lot of the time and that's been the problem. They've sat too far off and you give good players that amount of time, they'll control you and that’s exactly what’s happened."
Jermaine Jenas backed Deschamps' decision to make two substitutions on commentary for the BBC, noting that Les Blues were "obviously struggling." "I don't blame Didier Deschamps at all. He is looking at the same thing we are looking it," Jenas added.
"They are obviously struggling with something as a group and were carrying one too many players in my opinion. It's a tough call because Giroud had given him so much in the tournament but he has had to make the call before half-time. It means Mbappe will go through the middle.
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He then went on to say: "They won't believe what they have been facing. Argentina have been brilliant but there is no way they would have expected this lack of intensity from France. They will be in shock on the pitch at the amount of freedom they have."
No one could argue that France deserved to be behind, with Argentina running riot in the opening 45 minutes. The Albiceleste undoubtedly controlled the game, pressing the French everywhere on the pitch and reaping the rewards of their fearless approach.
It was Dembele - who endured a woeful final from a personal point of view - majorly at fault for Argentina's first goal, as the Barcelona ace tripped Angel Di Maria inside the box. Lionel Messi stepped up and made sure that he wouldn't miss his moment, slotting the ball past Hugo Lloris. Messi was then at the centre of his side side's second goal, as Di Maria finished a slick counter.
