Late Goals Not Enough for France to Avoid High-Scoring Friendly Loss to Belgium

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: June 7, 2015

commentComment        

With just 12 months to go until they host the 2016 UEFA European Championship, France suffered a setback in their preparations with a 4-3 defeat to Belgium at Stade de France on Sunday.

Although the final margin between the two sides was one solitary goal, the truth is that Les Bleus should feel flattered that they were able to make the result as respectable as they did.



Until substitute Nabil Fekir’s 89th minute goal, Didier Deschamps’ men were thoroughly outplayed by Les Diables Rouges and Marc Wilmots’ side looked every bit the team ranked second in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking at present.



A double from Marouane Fellaini, a superb long-range effort from Radja Nainggolan and an Eden Hazard penalty provided Belgium’s goals, while the French hit back through a Mathieu Valbuena spot kick, as well as late strikes from Fekir and Dimitri Payet.

Deschamps recognised after the final whistle that his France team was beaten by the better side on the day, but refused to panic. 

We were dominated physically by a side who went all-in. They were incredibly effective, scoring four goals from five on-target shots. People can say what they want; Belgium aren't number two in the FIFA rankings for nothing. But that's no excuse. Even though, in the second half, the game opened up, we were far too laborious in the first term. Our players who came on as substitutes added some freshness, but on the whole, Belgium were the better side as they are very strong in the air and on the ground. Their fourth goal could have killed off the match but we fought on regardless, and that's a positive that I'm taking from the match. We showed plenty of desire, but we can do better. Still, I'm not worried.

For the Belgians, it was the perfect warm-up ahead of Friday’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Wales in Cardiff.

However, for the French, it has given...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!