 Complete the following phrase:  For the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Deschamps was careful in selecting his 23-man roster for Russia, selecting only players who he felt could gel as a cohesive unit, resulting in the omission of Real Madrids Karim Benzema. Although initially criticized for conservative tactics as the national team had indifferent showings to advance from the group stage with narrow wins over Australia and Peru and a draw against Denmark, they put in domit performances during the knockout rounds, defeating Argentina 43 in the Round of 16 and Uruguay 20 in the quarter-finals to reach the semi-finals. During the tournament, Deschamps also deployed Blaise Matuidi  normally a holding midfielder  out of position, playing him out wide, rather than in the centre, as a left-sided winger or attacking midfielder in a 4231 formation. In this system, Matuidi proved to be equally effective, in spite of his unorthodox playing role, as he was able to track back and limit the attacking threat of the opposing full-backs on the flank. Moreover, he also often tucked into the centre, in order to help support Paul Pogba and NGolo Kanté defensively, which also helped minimise the amount of space given to the main playmakers of Frances opponents throughout the tournament, and ultimately helped to nullify their impact on the game in midfield. Furthermore, Matuidis more defensive role on the left flank provided balance within the team, as it in turn gave Kylian Mbappé the licence to attack and run at defences from the right wing. Following these matches, France became World Cup winners after beating Belgium 10 in the semi-final and Croatia 42 in the 