World Cup: taking stock after Spain’s victory

The old football hierarchy has been upended at this World Cup, Le Figaro concludes:

“Brazil (five-times champion) no longer has any stars, and the German team (four times the champion) lacked inspiration: is this symptomatic of Germany’s decline? And numerous African nations came close to providing big surprises: Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Egypt… Is this the beginning of the rise of the South, whose players have often been trained in the North? … The World Cup has shown France once again that nothing is certain in football. In a country shaken by crises, people clung to the Bleus. … Seen as the favourites, they were expected to give the country new hope. … Alas! We were disappointed.”