FIFA World Cup 2022 final: How France made 7 substitutions - Explained

France's midfielder Adrien Rabiot receives medical attention during the Qatar 2022 World Cup final.

When coach Didier Deschamps replaced midfielder Adrien Rabiot in the first half of extra time, it did not count as a substitution under 'normal circumstances'. This meant that France made seven substitutions over the course of regulation and extra time before the match went to penalties.

As per the tournament rules, teams can make five substitutions in regulation time (90 minutes) and are afforded a sixth replacement should the game go into extra time. However, France made seven substitutions as the game went into penalties because the Adrien Rabiot substitution was forced upon Les Bleus.

France’s Adrien #Rabiot off w/ a reported “suspected concussion” after that earlier head clash@FIFAcom has put some + steps in place to protect players, but the “RTP loophole” is still problematic
Must have temporary subs if safety is top priority #FIFAWorldCup #ARGFRA pic.twitter.com/yPDQzZ4BKO

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— InjuryMechanisms (@IMechanisms) December 18, 2022

The midfielder felt concussion-like symptoms after suffering a knock to his head in the 89th minute, when he was involved in a clash of heads with Argentine striker Julian Alvarez in the 89th minute.

Rabiot immediately fell to the ground with the French medical team assessing the impact of the injury. He was cleared to continue the match, but as the game went on Rabiot could not play any longer and was replaced in the 96th minute.

His substitution was the fifth change for France, but as per protocol it did not count towards France's number of substitutions. Deschamps made two more changes in the second half, bringing on Ibrahim Konate and Axel Disasi for Raphael Varane and Jules Kounde, respectively.