France progressed despite losing 2-0 to Denmark in Group 1


In spite of falling to Denmark 2-0 in their Group 1 match, defending champions France nevertheless managed to advance to the elite division on Sunday.

After the hosts’ first-half goals from Kasper Dolberg and Andreas Skov Olsen, Didier Deschamps’ team, who will play Denmark in Group D at the World Cup in November, ended third in the Nations League standings with five points from six games.

As a result of a 3-1 home loss to Croatia, which put them last in the group with four points, Austria was demoted to League B.

With 13 points, Croatia advanced to the last four, one point ahead of Denmark, who suddenly found their game against France after being completely outplayed in the first 20 minutes.

Deschamps will be crossing his fingers that all of his first-choice players, including Paul Pogba, Karim Benzema, and Hugo Lloris, will be healthy for the tournament in Qatar. The world champions France were far from their best.

Deschamps stated, “We had a lot of opportunities, but we were not proactive enough and committed a few technical errors. “Our crew was young and lacked a high degree of expertise. This evening was a wake-up call.

“We’ll get the majority of our injured players back in time for the World Cup, so I’m not concerned. However, we don’t believe we are more powerful than the others, and we are aware that there will be a fierce battle.

Kasper Schmeichel parried a strong attempt from Kylian Mbappe, and Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga controlled the midfield as France took control of the game early on before losing ground over time.

When Alphonse Areola stopped Thomas Delaney’s header in the 23rd minute, Denmark got its first opportunity.

On minute 34, Dolberg capitalized on a perfect cross from Christian Eriksen to give the hosts the lead.

Denmark took a 2-0 lead after five minutes thanks to a volley from just beyond the box by Skov Olsen.

After the interval, Les Bleus attempted to respond after struggling to keep up with their opponents’ speed. Schmeichel denied Mbappe at the end of a quick counterattack and stopped the forward’s potent close-range drive.

With Raphael Varane on the sidelines due to Deschamps’ desire to protect other important players during a busy schedule, France’s defense lacked solidity.

In the second half, Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud were also replaced since Les Bleus had nothing to gain or lose from the final because Croatia led Austria.


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