France beat England 3-2 in a thoroughly entertaining international friendly in Paris.
With just a year to go until the 2018 World Cup, this game represented a chance to see how both nations are shaping up ahead of the finals in Russia.
In-form Harry Kane broke the deadlock inside the opening 10 minutes as he escaped the attentions of Samuel Umtiti to slot the ball into an empty net past his Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris.
The hosts hit back to go into the break ahead as Umtiti capitalised on a loose ball in the box to equalise, while Djibril Sidibe did the same to complete the turnaround.
Raphael Varane’s controversial red card and Kane tucking away the resulting penalty looked to have swung the momentum England’s way, but it was Les Bleus who had the last laugh as Ousmane Dembele netted the winner for the 10-men.
With that said, here’s five things we learned from this five-goal thriller
1) The best of Paul Pogba will come to light next season
Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs said before the game that the Premier League will see a “new and improved Paul Pogba” next season and judging by the Frenchman’s display tonight, he is spot on.
His first season back in English football was met with a mixed reaction from pundits and supporters alike to put it best. After returning to Old Trafford for a world record transfer fee last summer from Juventus, there was an unrealistic expectation that Pogba needed to score and assist every week in order to justify his price-tag.
Whilst that obviously didn’t happen, he certainly wasn’t as bad as many made him out to be and he was head and shoulders the best player on the park tonight.
A full range of passing was on show. Whether it was short or long, almost every pass found its target and he was majestic when France went down to 10-men. A goal would have capped off a majestic performance but he will probably settle for playing a role in Dembele’s winner and humiliating Gary Cahill with a sumptuous piece of skill.
Next season will bring out the best in Paul Pogba.
2) England 3-4-3 formation is a work in progress
Once the XI’s were released there was confusion as to what system England were playing. 4-2-3-1 with John Stones playing in a defensive midfield role alongside Eric Dier? Or three at the back with the City defender flanked by Phil Jones and Gary Cahill?
The question was answered at kick-off and it was the latter. To begin with the formation looked fine – evidenced with Kane’s goal as Ryan Bertrand offered the extra man on the left and provided the cross from which the Three Lions skipper broke the deadlock.
However, it went downhill from there. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain seemed lost playing alongside Eric Dier – which allowed Pogba to dominate – Dele Alli looked unsure when to drop in and pick up Dembele and the back three never looked comfortable.
It was no surprise when Southgate reverted back to a much familiar four at the back during the second half, but that had little to no impact. By no means should he abandon playing with the three, but England need a lot more time to perfect it.
3) Heaton fails his england audition
The Manchester City keeper, who spent the season just gone at loan at Torino and in all likelihood doesn’t have a future at the Etihad Stadium, came in for criticism for his part in both of Scotland’s goals in the 2-2 draw at the weekend.
As a result, Gareth Southgate (whether it was pre-planned or not) opted to make full use of naming four goalkeepers in his squad (yes, rather strange to call up so many for two games) and handed the Burnley stopper his first start at international level.
And in truth Heaton didn’t cover himself in glory. The two goals he conceded were partially his fault. Yes he did produce two wonderful saves from Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele in the build up but on both occasions he parried those efforts out for Umtiti and Djibril Sidibe to profit.
That’s not going to help his call to be England’s number one in Russia next year.
4) VAR technology haunts France once again
In a friendly between France and Spain earlier in the year, Antoine Griezmann saw his goal chalked off as the official that night in Paris, Felix Zwayer consulted with the Video Assistant Referee and spotted an offside in the build up.
Fast forward three months and Les Bleus were once again on the wrong side of a call made by this piece of technology and not everyone seemed convinced by the decision.
Dele Alli went down in the box under a challenge from Raphael Varane and referee Davide Massa pointed to the spot but called for a review of his decision. At first it seemed he was second guessing himself in regards to awarding England a penalty, but it turned out to be something different entirely.
What the Italian official was reviewing was the Real Madrid defender’s tackle and after 34 seconds of consultation the Frenchman was given a straight red card. That’s two calls that have gone against Les Bleus in two games, guess they’re not warming to the idea of VAR.
5) France young crop could lead to world domination over the next decade
Is there a more talented crop of youngsters across Europe than the French? Spare a thought for Didier Deschamps when he has to name a 23-man squad for the World Cup, meaning there will be a lot of disappointed players left out.
To put into context just how deep the talent pool is, Anthony Martial and Kingsley Coman didn’t even make the squad while Antoine Griezmann and Alexandre Lacazette were named on the bench. That’s some serious depth.
Deschamps started with three players aged 21 or younger; Monaco duo Thomas Lemar (21), & Kylian Mbappe (18) as well as Borussia Dortmund winger Ousmane Dembele (20) and all three impressed, their pace on the break scared the life out of England’s defensive players and were key to victory.
Lemar’s delivery from set-pieces was brilliant, Mbappe’s movement was spectacular especially when France went down to 10-men as he occupied Stones, Jones as well as Cahill and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet as one effort smacked the crossbar and was denied by Jack Butland from close range.
The one who did get his first international goal was Dembele. Picking up a pass from Mbappe before guiding the ball into the net, it’s no wonder Barcelona are reportedly interested in him and with this trio fit and in form, international glory and domination could just be around the corner for France.
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