French president Emmanuel Macron proved himself to be something of a modern-day Nostradamus as he accurately predicted both the score and goalscorers of France’s World Cup last-16 clash with Poland.
France cruised into the quarter-finals - where they will face England, should Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions overcome Senegal on Sunday evening - by beating Poland 3-1, as Olivier Giroud scored once and Kylian Mbappe twice for Les Bleus before Robert Lewandowski converted a late consolation penalty.
Remarkably, in an interview with Le Parisien published on Saturday, Macron not only predicted the 3-1 scoreline but even accurately called the goalscorers.
The president said: “Lewandowski will score one, just like Mbappé or maybe Giroud, who wants to make history. It’s a joker for the French team’s third goal.”
Macron has said he will travel to Qatar should France reach the semi-final stage as they look to defend the trophy they won in Russia four years ago.
Les Bleus cruised through their group - qualifying with victories over Australia and Denmark before a second-string side slipped to a surprise defeat against Tunisia.
However, they bounced back by outclassing Poland in the last 16 and Mbappe is now the tournament’s top scorer on five goals. The winner of England vs Senegal - which kicks off at 7pm GMT on Sunday evening - will be their opponent in the quarter-finals next Saturday.
Macron was speaking to Le Parisien on a visit to the United States and explained that he has been having post-match conversations with France boss Didier Deschamps. The president added that he thinks Les Bleus have a strong and solid side once again and that despite a relatively youthful squad, there are enough players with experience of winning the World Cup four years ago to thrive.
