The Blues beaten and missing their point against Germany in a friendly

The match: 0-2

Exaggerating the point a little, we could almost say that Didier Deschamps had seen it coming… On Friday, the coach of the France team spoke of possible difficulties to overcome, in the absence of Antoine Griezmann, for the first time in selection in 7 years. The French technician – who led France for the 150th time – did not think he was saying that well. Beaten by a conquering Germany (2-0), the Blues almost did not exist this Saturday in a friendly match which, if not having consequences, could allow us to learn lessons less than three months before the Euro (June 14 – July 14).

It’s simple, in a stunned and silent Groupama Stadium, nothing worked for the finalists of the last World Cup. After seven seconds of play, they were already behind. And things didn’t get better as the minutes went by. Lack of aggressiveness in defense, rough alignment, waste in transmissions and finishing, the Blues were dominated in all areas of the game. To the point that rarely, for a long time, have they left such a bad impression.

Kylian Mbappé tried to shake the coconut palm by creating timid chances (22nd and 25th). A little less transparent than his teammates, Ousmane Dembélé also tried his luck, without more success (35th and 55th). Unlike Kei Havertz, who scored in his turn at the start of the second half (49th). Around Toni Kroos, beaming for his return with the Mannschaft, the Germans have a second consecutive success against their French rivals, after that in Dortmund last year (2-1, September 12, 2023). A good omen before the Euro at home, less so for the Blues who, without several saves from Brice Samba (79th and 80th), could have taken a bigger correction.

The player: Wirtz in the light

Little known to the general public, Florian Wirtz will no longer remain in the shadows for long. His goal scored on a slightly deflected shot by Dayot Upamecano – the first of his career for the selection – after just seven seconds will go around the world. Author of a complete match, the young winger from Bayer Leverkusen (20 years old, 15 caps) demonstrated accuracy throughout the game. His technical finesse particularly bothered Jules Koundé. One of the revelations of the season in the Bundesliga is also at the origin of the second German goal.

14

The Blues had not played a match without scoring a goal for 14 matches and their defeat against Tunisia (0-1) at the 2022 World Cup.