On the global stage, as in Qatar, France is still second best...
When France scored their first goal in the World Cup final, the country’s President Emmanuel Macron leapt to his feet in delight. By the end, having joined the defeated French players on the pitch, he looked dejected. It was a scene that mirrors Macron’s own political travails on the world stage — extensive travel, an energetic performance but still, in his tussles with Russia, with the US or with Germany, coming off second best.