Disappointment among the Blues.

The France team, diminished by injuries but above all completely out of the way in Saint-Denis, was trapped in a friendly, Wednesday, November 11, against Finland (2-0).

Worrying three days before the League of Nations clash in Portugal.

On the cold lawn of a Stade de France behind closed doors, there were certainly only two holders of the 2018 World Cup in the tricolor ranks at kickoff.

The stake was certainly zero or almost, in the middle of an autumn overloaded with meetings.

Kylian Mbappé, Raphaël Varane and Lucas Hernandez certainly did not play, while Antoine Griezmann only came into play for half an hour.

Murderous raises

But none of these arguments will be enough to excuse the insipid performance of the Habs, overwhelmed by the murderous revivals of the 55th world nation, whose players, to scrutinize their astonished faces, must always find it difficult to believe it.

If against Ukraine in October (7-1), the friendly match prior to the League of Nations games had been synonymous with a promising offensive festival, the friendly against Finland a month later was rather a huge passage through.

And here are the Blues in doubt, three days before the most important trip of their year 2020, to Lisbon at Cristiano Ronaldo.

We will have to win or draw with at least one goal scored to take the lead of the League of Nations group alone before receiving Sweden on Tuesday, again in Saint-Denis. 

This third defeat since the World Cup (after the 2-0 setbacks in the Netherlands and Turkey) is also for the Blues the first at home for nearly two years and a friendly against Colombia in March 2018 (3-2).

Thuram lacks success

The first selection of Marcus Thuram (23 years old) should have been a party for the son of Lilian, 12 years and five months after the 142nd and last cape of his dad (record).

It ended in a frustrating mess for the Mönchengladbach striker, the most prominent man of the Blues but also, inevitably, the one who lacked the most realism (bar in the 15th, volleying above at the 17th, shot countered in the 45th + 1, shot captured in the 70th ...).

Bad luck: these are the two newcomers of the Finnish selection ... who burst the screen.

Another Marcus, Forss of his last name, sublimated a loss of ball of Moussa Sissoko (28th).

And Onni Valakari crucified Steve Mandanda with a long shot (31st), left alone by Paul Pogba and Steven Nzonzi after a bad pass from Wissam Ben Yedder.

In two forays, the selection of the "Grand Dukes" - their nickname - proved that she had not qualified for her first Euro by chance and that she could be dangerous, even with a team completely overhauled too. compared to his eleven type, winner last month in the League of Nations against Ireland and Bulgaria.

The expected casualties 

Blue side, Sissoko and Nzonzi missed the opportunity to score points seven months before the Euro.

Pogba, lacking rhythm at Manchester United, failed in his reconquest of confidence, like Olivier Giroud, usually intractable in this kind of unbalanced duel on paper.

Due to injuries, only 21 players, including three goalkeepers, warmed up on Wednesday, out of the 26 available.

Kylian Mbappé, Benjamin Pavard, Hugo Lloris, Corentin Tolisso, Adrien Rabiot: all these regular residents of the eleven have not even set foot on the lawn, most of them still on the floor, in a sprint to get them back on their feet for the trip in Lisbon on Saturday. 

It will undoubtedly be necessary that several of them find their feelings as quickly as possible.

Because on Saturday night at the Stade de la Luz, there will be in the opposing team a five-fold Ballon d'Or ready to rush into the slightest breach.

With AFP

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