France national football team Unleash Firepower & Depth in Dominant 3-1 Win Over Colombia national football team

PARIS: Desire Doue scored twice as France showcased its attacking firepower and strength in depth with a 3-1 friendly win over Colombia on Sunday in its final outing before coach Didier Deschamps names his World Cup squad.

Fielding an entirely different lineup from the first-choice side, which beat Brazil 2-1 on Thursday, Les Bleus still proved too strong for Colombia, with Doue’s double and another goal from Marcus Thuram sealing a comfortable victory.

Jaminton Campaz pulled one back for Colombia, which was quickly overwhelmed despite a decent start. Sometimes criticised for favouring cold calculation over flair, France — over the course of two warm-up matches — combined style with efficiency and heads towards the June 11-July 19 World Cup with growing certainty ahead of Deschamps’ final tournament in charge.

After a lively opening spell, France took the lead through Doue, who fired a low strike into the bottom corner in the 29th minute to score his first international goal.

Five minutes before the break, Thuram doubled the advantage, powering a header in off the underside of the bar after meeting a superbly curled cross from Maghnes Akliouche.

Any doubt was effectively removed before the hour mark. Breaking quickly from the midfield, Akliouche began the move before Cherki released Thuram on the right, and the forward squared unselfishly for Doue to apply a clinical finish.

Just as Kylian Mbappe was about to come on as a late substitute, Campaz reduced the arrears with a precise angled shot. Mbappe, as well as fellow substitute Hugo Ekitike, went close to adding a fourth in a frantic finish. France will fine-tune its World Cup preparations against the Ivory Coast in Nantes on June 4 and against another, as-yet-undetermined, opponent on June 8.

Deschamps will name his squad for the World Cup on May 14. Agencies

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