Zinedine Zidane was 20 mins away from having an anxiety-inducing wait for the last few group stage fixtures. Les Bleus- sans Mbappe- dominated possession but struggled to break down Belgium’s obstinate low block. Zidane rang the changes with about half and hour to go and the rest was history.
France’s subs ran amok in the closing moments of the game, securing an exhilarating 4-1 win that sees them atop Group A. Here are the ratings for the French contingent.
GK: Guillaume Restes- 6/10
21-year-old Toulouse shot-stopper Restes made a bit of history last night, becoming the youngest goalkeeper to play for Les Belus in 53 years. He dived down to his right to save from Lukaku. He was beaten by Lukebakio in a 1-on-1 scenario and was relegated to spectator status for the 2nd half.
RB: Jules Kounde- 6/10
Kounde did his rounds ably last night, often getting into the final 3rd while never shirking his defensive responsibilities. Effectively nullified Moreira’s threat but was quite wasteful in the crossing department.
CB: Lenny Yoro- 7/10
I was quite impressed with debutant Lenny Yoro. Only got his start after the impressive Jacquet was forced to miss out due to injury. But Yoro put his club shortcomings aside to confidently supress Lukaku’s physical threat.
CB: Maxence Lacroix- 6/10
The Chelsea centre-half wasn’t as regally impressive as the Man United debutant. But he still did his part in ensuring that Belgium would only have two shots on target in the entire match.
LB: Andy Diouf- 4/10
Zinedine Zidane has reportedly made complaints to the French FA about a lack of depth in the fullback regions. He seemed intent on proving his point with this selection, opting for Inter Milan right-back Diouf to play at left-back. He looked poor throughout and his positioning for Lukebakio’s goal was highly questionable.
CM: Eduardo Camavinga- 7/10
I think that Camavinga was the most impressive of the midfield three (a sentiment clearly shared by Zidane, who kept him on the pitch for longer than the other two). The Real Madrid star led the match in interceptions (4) and recoveries (8), providing France with the impetus to continue their stranglehold of possession.
CM: Maghnes Akliouchi- 5/10
The PSG playmaker was extremely quiet last night, ultimately making way for Cherki in the double change that effectively changed the trajectory of the match. Belgium denied him the pockets of space that he needs to conduct his business.
AM: Manu Kone- 6/10
Kone provided a bit of bite in midfield but lacked any real progressive threat. Belgium parked two busses and Kone lacks the type of killer pass necessary to unlock that kind of rigid system. Still put in a commendable shift.
LW: Bradley Barcola- 5/10
A largely frustrating night for the Liverpool speedster. Had a glorious chance to break the deadlock in the first 20 minutes. Lacked the incision of Mbappe or pure inventiveness of Olise. Doue cracked the Belgian code shortly after coming on for Barcola.
RW: Ousmane Dembelle- 4/10
People used to wax lyrical about how John Barnes never turned up for England. I highly doubt that he was as poor as Dembelle has been for France. The PSG superstar once again suffered in Mbappe’s absence, failing to score for a 4th successive Nations League game before being yanked at halftime. It was pretty telling that the Stade de France gave him his biggest ovation when he left the field.
STR: Esteban Lepaul- 4/10
Stade Rennais striker Esteban Lepaul had a night to forget, blazing the ball over the crossbar when perfectly teed up by Dembelle in the 33rd minute. To make matters worse, Belgium would go on to score barely a minute later. He was also denied from point-blank range by Vandevoort in the 2nd half. He just never felt connected to the match.
Subs
Michael Olise on in 60th minute for Dembelle- 10/10
Continues to press his claim as this year’s Ballon d’Or dark horse contender. Was majestic down that right-hand side, scoring two goals and assisting Cherki in a seemingly effortless display. Of all the world’s great players, Olise is the one who makes things look the easiest. He glides across the pitch like a composed figure-skater, moving past opponents without any discernible sign of effort.
Ryan Cherki on in 60th minute for Akliouche- 8/10
Put all the City hubbub aside to once again deliver the goods off the bench. He- alongside Olise and Doue- galvanized a Les Bleus side that had looked devoid of ideas. Got the go-ahead goal after some brilliant interplay with Olise. Aura-farming to the hilt with that celebration.
Lucas Da Cunha on in 61st minute for Kone- 7/10
Part of Zidane’s triumphant raft of substitutions, Da Cunha fed Doue for the all-important equalizer. Just provided a nice injection of energy.
Desire Doue on in 72nd minute for Barcola- 9/10
If Olise was the scene-stealer; Doue was the catalyst. The fleet-footed Doue got France level within five minutes of coming on the field, sharply tuning on the edge of the box before unleashing a low drive into the bottom corner of Vandevoort’s goal. Turned provider for both of Olise’s goals. I wonder if Liverpool maybe should have opted for him instead of Barcola.
Adrian Rabiot on in 88th minute for Camavinga- n/a
