PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Martin Meissner is a staff photographer for The Associated Press. He is based near Düsseldorf, Germany. Meisner has been with The Associated Press for more than 25 years and is covering his sixth World Cup.
why this photo
I was covering Saturday’s match between France and Paraguay from the right-hand corner. As the final whistle sounded to signal the end of the match, an emotional Kylian Mbappé loudly expressed his joy after France won on penalties and advanced to the World Cup quarter-finals.
How this photo was made
I flew from Boston to the game in Philadelphia on Saturday morning, America’s birthday, which also happened to be my birthday. The temperature in the stadium for the July 4 afternoon game was near 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), but it was in the shade. For me, there was no shade. For more than three hours I was on the far right, under the bright hot sun. It was so hot that the cameraman sitting next to me couldn’t stand it anymore and had to be escorted off the pitch. In a soccer match at this level, especially in a game where every point is contested, you have to stay focused until the end. A single moment could have changed the entire story of this hard-fought match. After 10 minutes of stoppage time, I stayed with Mbappé, the key player in the match, and waited for his reaction using my 400mm long lens.
Why is it effective?
The moment Mbappé let out a scream, his joy captured the entire match in a single image. Paraguay used questioning tactics throughout the match, repeatedly provoking Mbappé. The play was so physical that when the Paraguayan goalkeeper reached out to congratulate Mbappé after the match, the French superstar swatted it away. This photo from the final whistle captures the sense of satisfaction that overflowed after a victory despite questionable tactics.
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