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Manu Tournoux
Manu Tournoux is a passionate and knowledgeable football enthusiast with a special focus on French football. Born and raised in France, Manu discovered his love for the beautiful game at a young age and developed a deep understanding of the ins and outs of "Le Championnat." His French roots and extensive experience in football journalism have made him an invaluable asset to the French Football Weekly team.
As an author for the website, his expertise includes not only in-depth analysis of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches but also insightful profiles of up-and-coming talents, detailed transfer news, and engaging coverage of the French national team. His captivating writing style and undeniable passion for the game have earned him a loyal following among our readers.
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If Ukraine has so much difficulty existing offensively, it is also because Kanté is in the oven and in the mill when he loses the ball on the French side. When he doesn’t win the duel, the Blues midfielder doesn’t hesitate to cut the rhythm with “small” faults bordering on anti-play.
Koné is the first player warned of this meeting, guilty of a very late tackle on Yaremchuk. Immediate consequence: the Roman will be suspended on Sunday in Azerbaijan.
Possession is largely in favor of the Blues during this first half hour, at 76%, but this does not allow Didier Deschamps’ players to pile up the chances. Only Mbappé, by far, had a concrete opportunity this Thursday.
Cherki still unclear! After the right shot, the City leader tries the left shot from 24 meters and the result is the same: a ball which passes quite far from the frame.
Note that the Blues, if they obtain “only” a draw this Thursday evening, will not qualify for the World Cup. But a new draw on Sunday in Azerbaijan would guarantee them a ticket for next summer’s event in Mexico, Canada and the United States.
Launched on the left, Barcola plays with Zabarnyi, his teammate at PSG, before crossing back towards Mbappé. The pass does not find a taker and Barcola then commits a foul… on Zabarnyi.
Ocheretko remains on the ground after a delayed obstruction from Koundé. The Ukrainian midfielder takes a long time to get up, he demands a card, but Mr. Vincic does not come out after this situation.
Olise takes charge of the corner which follows Trubin’s save, in a returning manner, and the ball goes straight out of the goal. Missed opportunity for Deschamps players.
Mbappé lights the first fuse! From 23 meters, from the left, the Real striker unleashes a powerful shot, on target, crossed, and Trubin lies down well to deflect. This was the first opportunity for this meeting.
The 15th minute of this match is marked by a new tribute to the victims of November 13, 2015 with a giant flag in the shape of a tifo and numerous phone flashes visible in the aisles of the Parc des Princes.
Cherki misses! After a good service behind Barcola, the Mancunian leader quickly looks for the shot from the right, from 20 meters, and he clearly misses the target. The Blues push but struggle in the last gesture.
On a nice opening from Digne, Mbappé can appear alone against Trubin but the Madrilenian lacks his control, not easy to achieve. No regrets, anyway, since the assistant referee raises his flag to sanction Mbappé for the first offside.
Kanté throws himself forward for one of the first times and it is Cherki who is very busy as a leader who launches him into the area. The former Chelsea midfielder then misses his cross and Zabaranyi clears his own.
The Blues are monopolizing the ball and playing in the opposing camp for the moment. A new corner allows Cherki to shift Koné at the entrance to the area and the Roman’s shot is also blocked.
Olise again! After a pass from Cherki, during a quickly played corner, the former Palace man tries from almost the same place as the first time and his shot is crushed here. The ball is then quickly stopped.
The Blues put their foot on the ball, which allows them to see the Ukrainian system in the defensive phase. It is indeed a 5-3-2 with the Yaremchuk – Hutsuliak duo on the front line.
Olise’s shot! Shifted to the right, the Bavarian dives into the axis and strikes from the left from 22 meters: it’s directly into Trubin’s gloves.
Ukraine starts this meeting high, with Yaremchuk found at the edge of the area. The Olympiakos striker then tries to slide towards Karavaeiv and his pass is completely missed.
Slavko Vincic, the main referee of the match, kicks off the first period.
A minute of silence is being observed at the Parc des Princes, to “honor the memory of the victims” of November 13, 2015.
We have not yet mentioned it but this match will have a particular resonance this Thursday, since it takes place ten years to the day after the attacks experienced in Paris and foiled, at the Stade de France, when France hosted Germany in a friendly match (2-0). Giroud and Gignac scored the two goals in a match where the footballing stakes appeared very insignificant. Commemorations will take place before kick-off.
Classification point: Iceland has just won its fifth match in this group D, during its trip to Azerbaijan (0-2). The Icelanders (with one more match) move back ahead of Ukraine with 7 points and a better goal difference (+4 against +1). The Ukrainians, as we have said, will play on Sunday at the end of the day for the close of the group stage.
On the Ukrainian side, Serhiy Rebrov seems to opt for a 5-3-2 (or 3-5-2, depending) with the Hutsuliak – Yaremchuk pair in front. The Yellow and Blue coach, deprived of Dovbyk and Malinovskyi, also aligns a trio composed of Ocheretko, Yarmoliuk and Nazaryna in midfield.
The composition of the France team has been made official and Didier Deschamps presents a 4-2-3-1 with Mbappé at the forefront, supported by a trio Olise – Cherki – Barcola. The offensive players Dembélé, Doué and Thuram are absent, as are the midfielders Rabiot, Tchouameni and Camavinga, the national coach opting for the Kanté – Koné pair in front of the defense. A rearguard with the Saliba – Upamecano pair in the middle, Konaté starting on the bench. Note that Thauvin, called in for reinforcements in recent hours, does not appear on the sheet.
As for Ukraine, after an initial defeat against France (0-2) and a draw against Azerbaijan in September (1-1), the October session was much more positive: 5-3 victory in Iceland and 2-1 success in the return against Azerbaijan. Rebrov’s team will most likely play its qualification for the Final Four in March against Iceland on Sunday at the end of the day (6 p.m.).
Winners of their first three matches (Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan), then held to a draw during the return to Iceland (2-2) last month, the Blues have ten points at the top of their group. The equation is simple this Thursday: they will qualify for the World Cup in the event of victory.
Welcome to our site to follow live the 5th qualifying match of the Blues for the 2026 World Cup: the reception of Ukraine at the Parc des Princes. Kick-off is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. this Thursday.