March 26, (THEWILL) – On Friday night, France won a 2-1 friendly over the Ivory Coast in Marseille, thanks to Aurelien Tchouameni’s late header making all the difference in the end.
Les Bleus qualified for the World Cup later this year, while Les Elephants failed to get past CAF’s second qualifying round, hence the two teams have the leisure to use the international break for friendlies this month.
In the first half, the hosts were sluggish and fell behind when Nicolas Pepe slipped clear on the right flank and blasted past Hugo Lloris to give the Ivorians the opener.
However, Olivier Giroud rose highest to nod in Theo Hernandez’s floating cross, cutting the lead short.
France had chances to win the game, with Antoine Griezmann’s close-range shot incredibly stopped by Badra Ali Sangare.
While Didier Deschamps’ team were not at their best for the duration of the 90 minutes, they were able to sneak the victory in injury time when Tchouameni rose highest to head home a corner from substitute Matteo Guendouzi for his first ever France goal.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
