The tops
Benjamin Pavard’s dream evening
He has been asking for a long time to be used in central defense in the France team and Didier Deschamps granted his request against Scotland. For the Northerner, given the competition in this gaming sector, it was better not to miss out. And it’s an understatement to say that he lived up to the event at home in Pierre-Mauroy. Solid in defense, responsible for the restart, he especially had a dream first period in the Scottish box. Scorer from an Antoine Griezmann corner for the equalizer (16e), he doubled the lead less than ten minutes later with a diving header on a service from Kylian Mbappé (25e). He is even very close to the hat-trick on a new cross from his captain (37e). Honestly, he couldn’t have asked for anything better.
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Kylian Mbappé confirms his recovery
His double in the Netherlands ended four matches without scoring. The captain of the Blues confirmed his recovery against Scotland who suffered as soon as he was able to pick up speed. One of his tumbles resulted in a decisive pass for Benjamin Pavard (25e). And it was obviously he who was responsible for transforming the penalty obtained by Olivier Giroud to score his 43e goal in selection (40e). Sometimes a little too greedy, like on this ball touched with the tip of the foot instead of leaving it to “Grizou” (44e), or not spontaneous enough (60e), he posed a permanent threat.
Impactful entrants
We hadn’t seen too much of Olivier Giroud, despite a penalty obtained (39e), and Ousmane Dembélé, still too messy, when Didier Deschamps took them out after the hour mark to bring in Kingsley Coman and Marcus Thuram. The Interist and the Munich player did not take long to create danger in the Scottish area. A cross from the first resulted in a recovery on the bar of Antoine Griezmann which ultimately benefited “King” (70e). The Bavarian’s sixth goal in the selection. As for Thuram, he almost found the opening for his second consecutive rally but his shot on a cross from… Coman found the bar of Liam Kelly (81e).
>> ALSO READ : No false note for the Blues against Scotland
The flops
Eduardo Camavinga’s blunder
At a press conference, the Madrilenian indicated that he wanted to make Didier Deschamps think about giving him more playing time each time he stepped on the pitch. In the relay position, he was, as often, very lively, seeking to penetrate the opposing lines with a pass or ball. But his overall performance was tarnished by a monumental blunder in the area when he offered the opener on a plate to Billy Gilmour (11e).
Scotland is extinct
His start to the match was interesting, with a lot of mastery in moving the ball. And Billy Gilmour’s opening score was not usurped (11e). But once Benjamin Pavard’s equalizer was completed (16e), Scotland was in difficulty, particularly on the excesses on the left side of Theo Hernandez and Kylian Mbappé. Reorganized, the Tartan Army had difficulty uniting and was regularly pierced. Steve Clarke, the coach, had decided to make several changes from the previous match in Spain. It was seen. The learning continues.
The deplorable state of the lawn
Didier Deschamps had grumbled the day before the match when talking about a pitch that had “suffered”. It is the least we can say. From the stands, we clearly saw the devastation produced by the five World Cup matches played at Pierre-Mauroy on a pitch that dates back to… August! This was not without consequences in the game, with ball circulation which was made difficult by questionable rebounds. Moreover, in the action which preceded the Scottish opener, full-back Jonathan Clauss missed a check near his area following a surprising trajectory of the ball. It’s a real shame that an international match is being played in such conditions.