France manager Didier Deschamps said his side’s 2-0 friendly win over Bolivia was “good preparation” for Euro 2020 qualifiers against Turkey and Andorra.
Thomas Lemar opened the scoring for the home side at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes on five minutes, with Antoine Griezmann getting his 29th international goal just before half-time.
But an injury suffered by Kylian Mbappe, a week before the trip to Turkey, took some of the shine off the win.
The Paris St Germain forward had to go off at half-time with an ankle problem.
Speaking after the match on fff.fr, Deschamps said it was good to get a positive result before heading to Turkey, who are joint top of their Euro 2020 qualifying group.
He said: “It was good preparation. I could largely do what I had wanted to do.
“I have no regrets, even if we did not show enough efficiency in the second half given all our chances.”
The hosts took an early lead when Griezmann found Lemar on the left-hand side of the penalty area and the Atletico Madrid winger took a touch before lifting the ball over advancing Bolivia keeper Carlos Lampe.
It was Lemar’s fourth goal for France, all of which have come on home turf with his left foot.
It was predictably one-way traffic in the first half and Lampe did well to cling on to Mbappe’s driven cross, with Griezmann waiting to pounce.
Lampe did even better to claw away a Griezmann header from Lucas Digne’s cross, colliding with the near post as he did so.
Lampe could not hold out until half-time, though, as Griezmann struck in the 43rd minute.
Lemar’s neat touch kept his own cleared corner in play on the byline and when Bolivia failed to deal with his second cross, Griezmann spun onto the loose ball and drilled it home.
Bolivia fashioned the odd chance too, with Leonel Justiniano forcing France keeper Alphonse Areola into a save low to his left from a free-kick and then heading Alejandro Chumacero’s cross wide.
Provided by Press Association Sport
