The France Espoirs team is heading towards the Olympic Games. For their first preparation meeting, the Bleuets struggled to beat Côte d’Ivoire (3-2), Friday in a friendly match in Châteauroux. Despite the valiant Ivorians, ahead with half an hour to go, a goal from Wilson Odobert (72nd) and a double from Désiré Doué (38th, 84th) allowed Thierry Henry’s men to turn the match around.
The match: 3-2
The color was announced from the start by the Ivorians, enterprising from the start and calling on Lucas Chevalier on a lightning counter led by Abdoulaye Traoré (4th). If the first period, marked by numerous opportunities, allowed the Lille goalkeeper to distinguish himself with high-class saves (8th, 30th), it will also have served to show the defensive feverishness of the Bleuets, highlighted by the Elephants constantly carried forward. At the end of the period, Doué relieved his teammates by opening the scoring following an error by the opposing defense (1-0, 38th).
But this goal only delayed the inevitable: upon returning from the locker room, the Bleuets defense collapsed and Chevalier was unable to do anything to prevent the Ivorians from coming back to score, then taking the advantage, through Traoré ( 1-1, 47th), with a subtle curling shot, and Mohamed Bamba (1-2, 49th), scorer from the penalty spot. France then came close to being penalized when Lasso Coulibaly played against Adrien Truffert before seeing his attempt pushed back by the post (65th).
A warning too many for Thierry Henry, who immediately brought in Rayan Cherki to create a new dynamic. Four minutes after his entry, the Lyonnais delivered a superb assist to Odobert, author of the equalizing goal after his face-to-face with Issa Fofana (2-2, 72nd). At the end of the match, Doué released his team with a personal feat by perfectly deceiving the Ivorian goalkeeper to score a double (3-2, 84th).
Dominated and suffering throughout the match, the French team managed to find the resources thanks to newcomers Cherki and Odobert to reverse the trend and achieve a victory rich in lessons before the Olympic Games, against a great Ivory Coast team. The Bleuets will meet the United States on Monday in Sochaux for their next friendly match.
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Rayan Cherki delivered his seventh assist in 21 games with the Bleuets.
The fact: Bradley Barcola out with injury
Replaced by Odobert in the 25th minute, the PSG striker held the ischio of his left thigh after an acceleration. The former Lyonnais could thus be forfeited for the next youth match, as well as for the next matches with Paris-Saint-Germain.
