MX23RW : Thursday, November 7 10:35:04| >> :600:395069:395069:
[monks data]
Attendance: 70,000
France national football team
Euro Champ Qualifying | Group Stage
Nov 14, 2019 at 7.45pm UK
 
Moldova national football team

2-1

Varane (35'), Giroud (79' pen.)
FT(HT: 1-1)
Rata (9')

France boss Didier Deschamps "not satisfied" after lacklustre Moldova win

France boss Didier Deschamps
© Reuters
France knew they had already qualified before kick-off in Paris.

France boss Didier Deschamps denied that his team's lacklustre display in the 2-1 victory over Moldova was down to Les Blues having already qualified for Euro 2020.

Turkey's draw with Iceland earlier on Thursday had eased any pressure on France, guaranteeing their place at next summer's tournament, and Deschamps' men put in an underwhelming performance in Paris.

With the need to win removed, Les Bleus made a sloppy start as calamitous defending from Clement Lenglet saw Vadim Rata give the visitors a shock lead with nine minutes on the clock.

Raphael Varane headed an equaliser before half-time and a late penalty from Olivier Giroud got France out of jail, with the three points moving them to the top of Group H.

Asked if being qualified before kick-off had an effect, Deschamps told L'Equipe: "I do not think so and I do not hope so because it's not enough to be qualified. The possibility of finishing first came with a victory.

"Our first goal came from an error by their goalkeeper but our first-half performance was insufficient. I am not satisfied with our attacking play in the first period.

"In the second half we were more consistent, even if we lacked efficiency. We had 17 strikes, not always on target, but in the first half it was too little.

"There was a tendency to ask for the ball only in the feet and not in behind. There was not enough movement and availability. It was too static, there was a lack of mobility. But I don't think this was because of the result in the earlier match."

Deschamps revealed he was angry with his players at half-time before going on to praise Giroud.

"I can sometimes be hard or very hard with them. There is so much potential in this team that when I do not see what I want to see, I say it. I tell them," he said.

"He (Giroud) is effective. How he plays allows other players to have goal chances too. He made the decision to shoot the penalty and he did well. It explains why he plays with us despite his playing time at Chelsea."

ID:378971: cacheID:378971:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3501:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
France's Olivier Giroud celebrates scoring their first goal against Iceland on October 11, 2019
Read Next:
France boss Didier Deschamps explains Olivier Giroud selection
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Cyprus Cyprus00000
2 Georgia Georgia00000
3 Norway Norway00000
Q Scotland flag Scotland00000
Q Spain Spain00000

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q France France00000
2 Gibraltar flag Gibraltar00000
3 Greece Greece00000
Q Netherlands Netherlands00000
5 Ireland Rep. Ireland00000

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England00000
Q Italy Italy00000
3 Malta flag Malta00000
4 Macedonia N. Macedonia00000
5 Ukraine Ukraine00000

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Armenia Armenia00000
Q Croatia Croatia00000
3 Latvia Latvia00000
Q Turkey Turkey00000
5 Wales flag Wales00000

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Albania national flag Albania00000
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic00000
3 Faroe Islands Faroe Islands00000
4 Republic of Moldova Moldova00000
5 Poland Poland00000

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria00000
2 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan00000
Q Belgium Belgium00000
4 Estonia Estonia00000
5 Sweden Sweden00000

Group G

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Bulgaria Bulgaria00000
Q Hungary Hungary00000
3 Lithuania Lithuania00000
4 Montenegro Montenegro00000
Q Serbia Serbia00000

Group H

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Denmark Denmark00000
2 Finland Finland00000
3 Kazakhstan Kazakhstan00000
4 Northern Ireland flag N. Ireland00000
5 San Marino flag San Marino00000
Q Slovenia Slovenia00000

Group I

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Andorra flag Andorra00000
2 Belarus Belarus00000
3 Israel Israel00000
4 Kosovo flag Kosovo00000
Q Romania Romania00000
Q Switzerland Switzerland00000

Group J

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Bosnia Bosnia H'vina00000
2 Iceland Iceland00000
3 Liechtenstein flag Liechtenstein00000
4 Luxembourg flag Luxembourg00000
Q Portugal Portugal00000
Q Slovakia Slovakia00000


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!