France continued their improvement under Didier Deschamps by claiming a 1-0 victory over Spain at the Stade de France on Wednesday evening.

Despite looking the more dangerous of the two sides for most of the match, France were forced to wait until the 73rd minute for the first goal as Loic Remy secured the win with a powerful strike.

Below, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the key talking points from the game.

Match statistics

FRANCE
Shots: 10
On target: 5
Possession: 42%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 9

SPAIN
Shots: 7
On target: 0
Possession: 58%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 9

Was the result fair?

On balance, a narrow victory for France was certainly the fairest result possible. It wasn't a match littered with chance after chance for each team, but the hosts showed the greater desire going forward, and were rewarded for their approach when Remy found the top corner 17 minutes from time.

France's performance

Deschamps will be delighted with what he witnessed from his players. France were under pressure to produce another impressive display after a promising World Cup, and they were solid at both ends of the pitch. Raphael Varane, in particular, controlled proceedings in defence well. Going forward, the hosts were eager to attack as quickly as possible, and the likes of Paul Pogba, Moussa Sissoko and Mathieu Valbuena all excelled in support of Karim Benzema.

Spain's performance

It was another 90 minutes of frustration for Vicente del Bosque. Spain showed glimpses of why they were such a dominant force for so many years, but they lacked the cutting edge which had served them so well as world champions. In the past, Spain have been camped in the opposing side's half of the pitch, creating regular opportunities, but were unable to hit the target at all tonight. The visitors looked solid at the back, but their difficulties going forward will be a big worry for Del Bosque.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Paul Pogba: The Juventus midfielder showed exactly why he is rated as one of the best central midfielders in the world at the moment. He popped up everywhere to help his side, and was the driving force behind almost every attack for the hosts. Pogba's passing and moments of magic delighted the crowd, and he was a cut above the rest.

Biggest gaffe

France looked like they had taken the lead early in the second half when Karim Benzema converted from Moussa Sissoko's inch-perfect cross, but the flag cut his celebrations short. It looked like the perfect goal. However, the assistant referee somehow failed to notice that the striker was behind the ball when Sissoko delivered the cross.

Referee performance

Alain Bieri would have probably used his cards on another night, but he was keen to keep the match flowing at a good pace, and that certainly helped the game.

What next?

France: The Euro 2016 hosts are in action again on Sunday as they take on Serbia in a friendly.

Spain: Del Bosque's side begin their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign by hosting Macedonia on Monday night.