France head coach Didier Deschamps took drastic action after seeing his side fall 2-0 behind to a rampant Argentina team inspired by opening goalscorer Lionel Messi in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final.
Tactician Deschamps removed two of his stars before the break in a desperate attempt to swing the momentum of a game that started terribly for the reigning champions.
Messi fired in a penalty to become the first player to score in every round of a single edition of the tournament and Angel Di Maria swept in a second, as France's opponents flew out of the traps.
Here's what Deschamps did next, as the 1998 World Cup winner as a player turned to his bench and prayed for a rapid reaction.
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Which France players were substituted against Argentina in the World Cup final?
Deschamps took the bold move of hooking France's all-time top scorer, Olivier Giroud — a man who had been in sparkling form and was the second-top scorer at the 2022 finals thanks to four goals on the way to the final.
Barcelona attacker Ousmane Dembele, who had impressed in previous games, also made way, as Marcus Thuram — a newcomer to the squad and the son of another 1998 France World Cup winner, like Deschamps, in Lilian Thuram — joined the action alongside Randal Kolo Muani.
Muani scored France's late second shortly after coming on during their 2-0 victory over Morocco in the semifinals.
Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele were subbed off before half time 😳#BBCFootball #BBCWorldCup pic.twitter.com/aLEPlOssH1
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 18, 2022
There had been talk before the final of 36-year-old Giroud, who plays his club football with Italian side AC Milan, struggling with a knee issue.
What was said about France's substitutions?
"I don't blame him," former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas said of Deschamps' decisions, speaking on BBC Sport.
"They're carrying one too many. If these players are fit, they're going to be much better off. It's a tough call for Deschamps because Giroud's given him so much in the tournament and Dembele has played his part."
World Cup final 2022: Were Giroud and Dembele injured?
France overcame an untimely bout of the flu just in time for the final. Five players were infected and three missed training two days earlier because of the outbreak, while two more stars were sidelined with injuries.
Raphael Varane, Ibrahima Konate and Kingsley Coman were struck by the flu bug after Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano missed the semifinal victory over Morocco.
Deschamps had refused to rule out a shock return to the France squad for Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema, although he did not feature in the matchday squad.
Giroud and Dembele were not showing any obvious signs of injury, making it more likely that Deschamps was making what he considered an urgent tactical change.
Deschamps had to change something but France look possibly even more clueless without Giroud. Don’t even have the option of hitting it up to him.
— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) December 18, 2022
How many substitutes at World Cup 2022?
FIFA confirmed teams would be permitted to make up to five substitutions per game at the 2022 World Cup.
Previous World Cups only permitted three substitutions, so the change for the Qatar tournament was quite significant.
The increase was passed by FIFA due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and the unique timing of this World Cup.
While five substitutions could be made, managers only had three windows to make them during the 90 minutes — not including halftime breaks.
