frbleus1-9, Exercise 1: 1998 and 2018

Model answer (check the details):

| | 1998 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | Hosts, at the Stade de France; seen as outsiders beforehand | Away in Russia; among the favourites |
| Style | Strong defence, creative midfield (Zidane), few goals from strikers | Young, fast and pragmatic; Mbappé and Griezmann, with a solid defence |
| Coach | Aimé Jacquet, criticised for years | Didier Deschamps, the 1998 captain |
| Reaction | A national celebration read as a social event ("black-blanc-beur") | A big celebration but more cautious claims about what it meant; a new debate about how the players are described |

What the comparison suggests: the team is understood through the national mood of each period. In 1998 it was seen as a symbol of integration, in 2018 as a strong team of a country that had learned to be wary of such claims. The 20 years between included the disappointments of Chapter 8.

Care: avoid saying that one win was "more French" than the other. Check scores and goalscorers in FIFA records.