Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe are here to help the France national team. Both strikers scored goals in the game and they won the match for the national team.
French strikers did the best
Kylian Mbappe does not understand procedures or matches with nothing at stake. The forward has become a beast that devours everything that is put in front of him. Today, against Finland, Bondy’s talent turned the game in favor of France as it did on Saturday against Kazakhstan. He assisted Benzema with his heel in the 0-1 and made the play of the night in a mid-distance race in which he ended up defining the long stick to be crowned as the great star of the match. France beat Finland 0-2 in a match in which they went from low to high and ended up winning thanks to the talent of one of the best players in the world.
With France already qualified, Deschamps introduced new features in the starting lineup compared to the team that thrashed Kazakhstan on Saturday. Zouma, Dubois, Digne, Tchouameni and Diaby entered as news, giving the coach a break for Benzema today in Finland with nothing at stake, except for the Finns, who wanted to get into the playoffs for the next World Cup.
Teams were testing waters in the first half, changed in the second
The first part was a mere formality for both teams. Without the tension of having something at stake, the game was calm, slow and predictable, especially for the world champion, who slowed down many of her attacks without wanting to risk the ball. Despite this, the French had the best chances of the first half, with Diaby warning in minute 4 after a great combination on the right wing. Mbappe, somewhat erratic in the first half, had in his boots the clearest opportunity of the entire first half. The PSG striker only finished off the edge of the area, but his shot went just off the post. Finland, very shy for the first 45 minutes and folding back with five defenders, also had a chance at Pukki’s boots, but his shot was caught by Lloris without complications.