Faced with a German team that has been moribund for five matches, the France team lost this Tuesday in a friendly match (2-1). Without Kylian Mbappé and with a largely overhauled team, the Blues were not up to the task.
There had not yet been a defeat in 2023 for the France team. It’s now a thing of the past since Didier Deschamps’ men lost this Tuesday against Germany (2-1). On the pitch at Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund), the Blues did not show their best side, especially during a complicated first period. An uncalled foul by Antonio Rüdiger on Randal Kolo Muani could have changed the situation if the referee and the VAR had had their eyes open. In the end, and even if there was improvement in the second half, the French almost logically lost to the Mannschaft.
And yet, the moment seemed ideal for the Blues, as the German selection seemed adrift for many weeks. Unable to win any of their last five meetings, Thomas Müller’s partners seemed viable. It was precisely without counting on the cunning and efficiency always about the Bayern Munich player, author of the opening score in the fourth minute of play on a cross from Benjamin Henrichs (1-0). Opposite, the French team, largely reworked by Didier Deschamps, failed to get into the rhythm.
Griezmann for the honor
Without Kylian Mbappé, left on the bench throughout the match, something was missing in the offensive animation. Once again not sharp enough, Randal Kolo Muani did not take advantage of his new tenure to score a goal for the Blues in 2023. Replaced shortly after the hour mark by a no more decisive Marcus Thuram, the PSG player will have to iron. The French still had dangerous actions in their favor during the second act, but without ever knowing success. So much so that on a well-led attack on the right side, Leroy Sané doubled the German lead in the last minutes of the game (2-0, 87th).
In the process, France obtained a penalty which allowed it to reduce the gap thanks to Antoine Griezmann (2-1, 89th). An almost anecdotal goal which did not prevent the defeat. Apart from the failure on penalties, in the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina, this setback is the first conceded in the game by the Blues since the defeat against Tunisia (1-0), there again during the Qatari World Cup.
