The France Espoirs team has taken the lead of its qualifying group for Euro 2023 by crushing Ukraine 5-0 in a one-sided match played for more than an hour at 11 against 10 this Friday in Brest. Poorly held in check in the Faroe Islands (1-1) in September, the Bleuets were pleased to face the apparently most dangerous opponent in their group, but they will have to confirm against Serbia on Tuesday in Belgrade.
For this, Arnaud Kalimuendo, Sofiane Diop, Amine Adli then Rayan Cherki – twice – have all four opened their counter in Hopes. In front of 4,500 spectators, many of them children, and in front of their star Eduardo Camavinga, not recovered from his bruise on his foot and remained in the stands, the Bleuets quickly settled in the Ukrainian camp. But they ran into a particularly attentive Ruslan Neshcheret. The reflexes of the third goalkeeper of Dynamo Kiev in particular disgusted Amine Adli (13th) then Amine Gouiri (14th, 24th). Even after the exclusion of Maksym Talovierov for a tackle deemed dangerous on Adrien Truffert (27th), the Bleuets struggled to get rid of the Ukrainian defensive block.
Cherki’s double
With Maxence Caqueret as conductor behind them, the attackers tried combinations but lacked speed or precision. Until this center set back from Pierre Kalulu for Arnaud Kalimuendo. Forgotten in the area, the Lensois had time to adjust his cross shot, passed under Neshcheret (1-0, 40th). And Sofiane Diop, served by Truffert, quickly doubled the bet with a superb shot rolled into the top corner (2-0, 43rd). On a quick block, Mykola Kukharevych almost reduced the score but was offside. In a second period without too much stake, Adli, ideally served by Gouiri celebrated his debut for the Bleuets with a beautiful cross strike (3-0, 54th).
“And one, and two, and three zero!” The children began to chant. But Mohamed-Ali Cho and Rayan Cherki, who entered shortly before the hour mark, were not satisfied with it: perfectly served by the first, the second, who was also making his debut in Bleuet, achieved a roulette wheel in the box. and in turn unleashed a magnificent cross strike low to the ground (4-0, 68th). The young Lyonnais even offered himself a double on a gag goal: a powerful strike from Adli, repelled by the right post, ends in the feet of Gouiri whose center-shot bounces on the chest of a visibly amused Cherki ( 5-0, 80th): “We were under an obligation to react, we had to achieve a full match and a positive accounting transaction so as not to let Ukraine slip away. We took the game from the right end, we pressed high, we pressed together. Even before the red card, we had already created 3 or 4 face-to-face on which we should have already opened the mark. Afterwards, the boys remained serious and solid. We talked about what we needed to bring in the face of a regrouped defensive block. Players crashing, gaining speed, shooting from afar (…). Now we are only halfway through the objective we set for this gathering. We will have to bring the same ingredients for the match in Belgrade on Tuesday, ”says coach Sylvain Ripoll.
