Zinedine Zidane backs Da Cunha amid Deschamps criticism

Lucas Da Cunha’s France debut has renewed questions over why Didier Deschamps never selected the midfielder. The Como player impressed under Zinedine Zidane against Belgium, prompting strong criticism of the former France coach and his staff on social media.

Zidane made wholesale changes for the second match of the international sequence, with Maxence Lacroix the only returning outfield player. Andy Diouf, Jérémy Jacquet and Da Cunha all made their first appearances for France. While Diouf looked less comfortable in an unfamiliar position, Jacquet and Da Cunha delivered assured performances.

France secured a second consecutive 1-0 victory, beating Belgium with the decisive goal arriving in the 88th minute. The result followed a less convincing win by the same score against Turkey three days earlier, but the reshuffled side produced a stronger display against Belgium.

Da Cunha completed 92.8% of his passes in the opposition half, the best figure recorded by a France player in that area over the past 20 years. Zidane said he was already familiar with the midfielder’s qualities and was pleased that Da Cunha played freely despite entering an unfamiliar group for his first selection. The performance gave weight to the criticism that Deschamps had overlooked him.