France is heading towards the 2026 World Cup. After a success in Ukraine and a deserved victory against Iceland at the Parc des Princes, the Blues were back in Paris this Friday to face Azerbaijan as part of the third day of qualifying for the next World Cup. Faced with the last of his group, Didier Deschamps' gang should not have too much difficulty winning the match in front of his audience. However, things took longer to settle. Arriving with a four-man attack consisting of Kingsley Coman, Michael Olise, Kylian Mbappé and Hugo Ekitike, France wasted no time creating numerous chances. With attacks coming from the right and a very offensive Malo Gusto, the Blues waited until the 10th minute to arm their first strike which came from the foot of the player trained at OL. More dynamic after a sluggish first quarter of an hour, the teammates of a mocked Adrien Rabiot pushed to open the scoring without really succeeding. Ultimately, the solution came from the captain. Leggy and more and more inspired as the minutes passed, Kylian Mbappé resolved the situation after a superb sequence which hit the mark in the area (1-0, 45+2nd).
Upon returning from the locker room, French domination increased. Confiscating the ball from their opponents, the Blues pushed to make the break. This second goal could have come from the foot of Hugo Ekitike. Much sharper than in the first period, the Liverpool striker accelerated before arming a cross shot from the right which hit Magomedaliyev's right post (49th). And after a great offensive from Kylian Mbappé (65th), the break goal came from a former Marseillais. Whistled since the start of the match, Adrien Rabiot protected France with a beautiful header from a precise cross from Mbappé (2-0, 69th). Making numerous changes, Didier Deschamps saw his newcomers bring fluidity to his game. After the inspired action of Maghnes Akliouche (73rd), the third French goal came from a returning player of choice. Taking advantage of Mbappé's ankle injury, Florian Thauvin came to sign his return with a wonderful goal a few minutes after his entry. On a cross from Theo Hernandez, the Lensois controlled before deceiving the opposing goalkeeper with a nice volley (3-0, 84th). The score has no longer changed and the Blues have therefore achieved a third success in as many matches and qualification for the next World Cup could even be achieved in the event of success on Monday in Iceland.
Man of the match
– Mbappé (8): a captain's match. While the French team was in difficulty, the Madrilenian was one of the only ones to look for his attacking partners and initiate combinations to break through the opposing defense. Above all, he was the author of a magnificent sequence with Ekitike to open the scoring. Not everything was perfect, especially in his choices in the final gestures, but he was selfless in finding Rabiot and also providing himself with a decisive pass. Replaced by Thauvin (82nd)author of a magnificent sequence for the third goal.
France
– Maignan (5): he only touched the ball in the game at the time of the free kick attempted by Makhmudov (16th). Otherwise, the evening was quiet and even boring for him, since Azerbaijan only struck once and off target.
– Gusto (6): he was one of the most active elements of the first period. He offered himself the first dangerous opportunity of the match following a nice combination with Mbappé (10th) and was impactful to break through the Azerbaijani defense throughout the match to combine and deliver some interesting crosses. He seems to have finally won his place behind Jules Koundé.
– Saliba (5): for his return to the blue jersey, the Arsenal central defender will have had almost nothing to do. Defensively, his duels were controlled and he made four clearances on poor opposing actions. We also saw him being clean in his raises.
– Upamecano (5): also very little used defensively, Upamecano had nothing to do and was solid in aerial duels. As usual, he demonstrated a certain technical mastery to restart the game.
– Hernandez (4.5): Unlike Gusto who gained places, Théo Hernandez clearly did not have the same performance. If he brought the surplus with Coman in a match ultra-dominated by the Blues, the left side showed great technical weakness and crosses which never yielded anything. However, it will have offered a great opportunity for Mbappé (62nd).
– Thuram (4.5): he also played big in this meeting. Competing in midfield, the bianconero had the opportunity to shine against the weak Azerbaijani team, but he clearly did not show the level displayed in Serie A. He did not provide enough support to his attackers in the first period and was ineffective in the offensive animation. It was a little better after the break.
– Rabiot (5): the Thuram-Rabiot pair will clearly not have been up to the task. In difficulty technically and in the duels, Rabiot even tasted a nice little bridge signed Makhmudov (21st), before being too discreet in the offensive animation. A match saved by this pretty header to give the French team a break. Replaced by Camavinga (70th).
– Coman (3.5): some flashes on his side in the first half, notably with two nice dribbles (34th) and a lot of activity to try to combine with his partners, but it was quite complicated for the former Bavarian, who showed technical weakness and did not always make the best choices. Replaced by Nkunku (78th).
– Olise (4): surprisingly more discreet than usual, the Munich player was not sharp enough and missed several combinations with his offensive partners. Too much technical waste and author of only three attempted shots, off target. Replaced by Akliouche (70th)author of a very good action that he did not dare to complete (75th).
– Ekitike (6): quite discreet during the first period, he nevertheless managed to be decisive. First with this nice movement, with a sequence, the finish of which lacked power (43rd), before being decisive by combining perfectly with Mbappé for the opening score. After the break, he was very close to scoring, but found the left post (49th). Replaced by Mateta (78th).
– Mbappé (8): see above.
Azerbaijan
– Mahammadaliyev (2): replacement goalkeeper for Qarabag, he was therefore not at the origin of the feat against Benfica in C1. Facing the French offensive armada, the 1.85m Azerbaijani goalkeeper won his duel against Malo Gusto in the 9th minute. On a too crushed shot from French captain Mbappé, Mahammadaliyev easily caught the ball (30th). Just before half-time, the goalkeeper was unable to do anything about a clear strike from Kylian Mbappé (1-0, 45+1). On an unstoppable header from Rabiot, he conceded the break goal (2-0, 68th) and then completely sank in the 84th on Thauvin's third goal.
– Cafarquliyev (3): active on his left flank, he was quite lonely: he multiplied the runs forward and the defensive returns on the very good calls from Gusto and Olise. He had a catastrophic second half, like all the Azerbaijan players. He suffered too much physically.
– Krivotsyuk (4): rather discreet during the first act, the left central defender was in a constant duel with Olise. The Bayern player was very active, but, against all expectations, the Daejeon player contained the former Crystal Palace player quite well, despite several outbursts. He rather stood out in a defense in great difficulty.
– Mustafazade (3): established in the axis of the 3-man defense, the Qarabag player saved his team in a one-on-one with Michael Olise in the 38th minute. He had a fairly remarkable first period, like his teammates in defense. In the second half, everything changed, he only suffered and Azerbaijan conceded three goals.
– Aliyev (3.5): the player from Zira, 4th in the Azerbaijani championship, who has 14 caps, had no easy task in his duel with Ekitike in the first period. Late on the opening score after a fairly inconsistent first period, marked by the Liverpool player's good pass for Mbappé (1-0, 45+1), which therefore marred the defender's copy. After an average encounter on his part, he was replaced by Mammadov in the 70th.
– Badalov (2.5): completely overwhelmed on his right flank, the Neftchi defender was overtaken throughout the match by Kingsley Coman. Luckily, the new Al Nassr player lacked precision on several occasions, and it could have been much worse for Badalov.
– Ahmadzada (3.5): with an attacking midfielder profile, he transformed into a real number 9 this evening. Alone facing the French wall made up of Upamecano and Saliba, the Soumgaït player did not weigh at all on the French defense. After a nasty foul on Kylian Mbappé, Ahmadzada received a yellow card in the 52nd minute of play. Author of a lackluster encounter, he was replaced by Gurbanli in the 61st
– Khaybulaev (2.5): aligned in a midfield duo alongside Ahmadzada. Khaybulaev played much lower than his friend at the heart of the game to try to muzzle the Mbappé-Ekitike pair. He was overtaken by Kylian Mbappé's goal just before half-time. Usually important in putting the foot on the leather and in keeping the ball for this Azerbaijan team, the Sabah midfielder was unable to do anything this evening. He was replaced by Khachaev in the 78th.
– Mahmudov (4.5): co-top scorer in the history of Azerbaijan with 14 goals in 51 caps, the Neftchi player and captain of his team this evening was much more discreet than during the match against Ukraine where he opened the scoring. He put a sublime little bridge over Adrien Rabiot in the first quarter of an hour and was probably the best of his team against a still average French team.
– Bayramov (3.5): he only defended Kingsley Coman, who was nevertheless aligned on his usual right lane. In the first half, he was almost a second right-back. After a tackle deemed illegal by Mr. Saggi in the 26th minute, the Qarabag player was booked: the first yellow card of the match. In the second half, he cut off an individualist action from Kylian Mbappé in the 65th minute. He was replaced by Dashdamirov in the 78th.
– Emreli (3): announced as a starter on the front of Azerbaijan's attack, he mainly played on the right lane, leaving Ahmadzada to take up the depth in the axis. He was very well taken by Théo Hernandez on his side and could do nothing in the face of the experience of the former Milanese. Late, not to say absent, marking Adrien Rabiot's head in the 68th minute, he was guilty of the French team's second goal. He was replaced by Akhundzade in the 70th.
