Seven days before they open their World Cup, France were given a lesson in the kind of game that no friendly is supposed to flatter. Ivory Coast came to Nantes and left with a 2-1 win, Amad Diallo's late strike turning a comfortable evening into a chastening one for Didier Deschamps (France 24).
It was France's last competitive outing before the tournament, and the scoreline will sting more than the occasion warranted.
France 1-2 Ivory Coast, Stade de la Beaujoire, June 4 — Les Bleus' final warm-up ends in defeat. Source: France 24
A first half that promised more
For 45 minutes this looked like a routine send-off. Kylian Mbappé, wearing the armband, was the game's most dangerous player, threading runs in behind and forcing the Ivorian back line into retreat (beIN Sports).
The reward came on the stroke of half-time. Ibrahima Konaté stepped out of defence and slid a pass through for Rayan Cherki, who took a touch and finished low into the bottom-left corner (ESPN). At 1-0, with Mbappé purring, France looked set to coast.
They did not see the rest of the night coming.
The game flipped at the break
Deschamps withdrew Mbappé at half-time — a planned piece of load management with the opener looming — and the energy of the match changed with him (beIN Sports).
Ivory Coast equalised in the 53rd minute through Guéla Doué, who finished a slick move that ran through substitute Nicolas Pépé (ESPN). The visitors grew in confidence, and France's second-string back line — reshuffled after the interval — never re-established control.
With six minutes left, Doué turned provider, clipping a cross to the back post where Amad Diallo arrived to sweep home first time (Bolavip). The Beaujoire fell quiet.
What it means for Deschamps
The temptation is to dismiss a June friendly, and there is logic to that: Mbappé's withdrawal and a raft of second-half changes diluted the side that will actually start France's first group game. France remain one of the model's clearest favourites to reach the latter stages.
But the manner of the collapse will trouble Deschamps. France conceded twice in 37 minutes to opponents who did not qualify for this World Cup, and the recurring theme — a defence that loosens when the first-choice spine is broken up — is exactly the issue that has haunted recent French tournament campaigns.
The first half was France. The second half was a warning — and warnings, a week out, are worth more than wins.
The individual bright spots were real. Cherki's goal was the work of a player demanding more minutes, and Konaté's range of passing from the back was a genuine plus. Yet a final warm-up exists to iron creases, not reveal them.
The fixes before kickoff
Deschamps now has days, not weeks, to decide how much rotation his squad can absorb without the level dropping off a cliff. The depth that should be France's superpower instead looked like a liability once the stars left the pitch.
There is no panic warranted here — France's ceiling is as high as anyone's at this tournament. But the floor, on this evidence, is lower than they would like. Ivory Coast were sharp, organised and ruthless on the counter, and they have given the rest of France's group a tactical blueprint to study.
For a side that fancies itself among the favourites, the last word before the World Cup was a defeat they will want to forget — and a lesson they cannot afford to.
