The France team reacted after its defeat against Germany. Didier Deschamps’ Blues, who will play the Euro this summer in Germany, won 3-2 against Chile on Tuesday in a friendly match played at the Vélodrome in Marseille.
Published on: 03/26/2024 – 23:28
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The victory against Chile (3-2) does not make us forget the disappointment against Germany (2-0), but the French team reacted, Tuesday March 26 in Marseille, for its last friendly match before turning towards Euro-2024.
Everything was not perfect, with another missed start costing a goal from Marcelino Nuñez (6th), an ordinary match from Kylian Mbappé, whistled by part of the Vélodrome, and new fears in defense.
But the Blues scored nice goals by Youssouf Fofana (19th), Randal Kolo Muani (25th) and Olivier Giroud (73rd), his 57th in the selection, and made a more convincing copy than against Germany on Saturday.
Didier Deschamps’ men end their month of March with a victory, before the list for the Euro, revealed in mid-May. Most of the 23 players are known for it, but some have scored points in Marseille, starting with the first two scorers.
Read alsoFrench team: three months before Euro 2024, Didier Deschamps reveals an unsurprising list
The rise of Youssouf Fofana and Kolo Muani
Youssouf Fofana equalized with a wrapped shot from the left, on a ball shifted by Mbappé, his only stroke of brilliance in a lackluster performance.
The Monegasque scored his third goal in 17 caps, all scored in his last four matches, a sign of his rise in power. He had already made people appreciate his powerful ball strike to equalize in Greece (2-2), this time from the right.
Kolo Muani also scored in Athens, where he opened the scoring, and he scored his third goal for Blue in 15 caps with a masterful header, jumping well above the Chilean hinge, on a good cross from Theo Hernandez.
“Ah, you don’t like Kolo, you are too harsh with him,” Deschamps lamented in November.
Excellent, RKM had his best match in Blue. He had already initiated the action of the first goal, offered the third to Giroud and was a constant poison for the South American defense, who made numerous mistakes to stop him.
But the defense conceded two goals for the third time in a row.
A rhythmic match of flats
In terms of bad news, we can add the two players who were injured in the first half, Jonathan Clauss and Eduardo Camavinga.
The first, who had a chance to defend his candidacy for the starting right-back position at home, only played ten minutes, before leaving injured behind the left thigh. He left his place to his competitor, Jules Koundé (11th), hardly more incisive than at Décines.
Camavinga’s left ankle turned in a tackle from Mauricio Isla, Marseillais in 2015-2016. The Madrilenian was replaced by another former OM, Mattéo Guendouzi (44th), given a standing ovation by the Vélodrome.
The stadium also welcomed a dribble from Alexis Sanchez (5th) who wore the colors of OM last season.
Just after, the Blues were too passive, letting Mauricio Isla cross for Nuñez and the opener. Against the Mannschaft, they conceded the first goal after seven seconds, this time they held out for a little more than five minutes… But the French, showing off their second jersey, white with thin blue stripes, regained control of the match and reversed the score.
La “Roja” contested until the end, notably with a shot from Eduardo Vargas on the post (50th) and a goal from Dario Osorio (82nd) on a poor dismissal from the French defense.
Certainly, Chile is not an opponent of the caliber of Germany, but this victory, with its downsides, is good for morale before diving towards the Euro in a little over two months.
With AFP
