When England completed their extraordinary victory in Mexico City, they reached double figures. It was their 10th win in World Cup knockout games since the 1966 final. A day earlier, a manager reached double figures. France have 10 under Didier Deschamps alone.
There is a case for putting his personal tally at either 13 or 14 – depending on which category games decided on penalty shootouts belong in – when his role as the captain of the 1998 Les Bleus teams is included. France have played in four World Cup finals: two under Deschamps, one skippered by him, one with the remnants of a team he had led from the midfield. He is now a game from the exit or three from the status of the greatest World Cup manager of all.
