Thirty years after the 10-0 that marked their last confrontation, France and Azerbaijan met again this Friday evening at the Parc des Princes, as part of the third day of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The Blues hoped to repeat their success in September 1995, but they did not succeed. However, they logically won (3-0) and took one more step towards obtaining their ticket for the competition.
Unsurprisingly, Didier Deschamps' men immediately took the game into their own hands. But despite 76% possession of the ball in their favor, the first period was almost scoreless. And it was ultimately through a combination of their offensive duo Ekitike-Mbappé that the Blues unlocked their counter. The Liverpool player found the Real Madrid striker, who for the occasion scored his 53rd goal in the French jersey (1-0, 45th+2).
Upon returning from the locker room, the French immediately resumed their march forward. Still without being truly effective. And it is finally from a set piece that they will double the lead thanks to Adrien Rabiot, whistled by part of the public at the Parc des Princes since the start of the game (2-0, 69th).
The Blues are almost there
Being booed by a few individuals was obviously the perfect motivation this evening since just after coming into play under these same whistles, Florian Thauvin scored a magnificent goal to make the score 3-0 (84th). For his first appearance in blue after 2,313 days of absence and a last selection dating back to June 11, 2019, the RC Lens player did not miss the opportunity to enjoy himself.
Kylian Mbappé, whom Florian Thauvin replaced, left with an injury. His famous ankle, already affected, was blocked during an action. We will have to carefully follow what the doctors say in the coming hours. This success in any case allows the French team to take a further step towards qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. It will perhaps be able to validate its ticket in three days during its trip to Iceland (8:45 p.m.).
