Armenia vs. France: Score, Grades and Reaction from International Friendly

Loic Remy, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Antoine Griezmann scored the goals as France eased to a 3-0 victory over Armenia on Tuesday in an international friendly at the Hanrapetakan Stadium in Yerevan.

Remy put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute before Griezmann doubled their advantage from the penalty spot 10 minutes into the second half.

Griezmann, a second-half substitute, sealed the win with France's third goal in the closing minutes.

With the rest of Europe playing qualifiers for Euro 2016, the match between these two sides had no official importance. As hosts of the European Championships in two years' time, France are not required to qualify. Even so, Didier Deschamps' side has been playing a series of friendlies against the five teams from qualifying Group I.

Perhaps it was no surprise, then, that Armenia coach Bernard Challandes called Tuesday's meeting a "s*** match," as reported by ESPN FC. Challandes is quoted as saying:

"

It's a nightmare. For me, it's a s*** match! Saturday, my players gave everything. Playing again three days later is a nightmare. The match against France is an honour but it is a bit of a poisoned present.

"

Challandes' side drew 1-1 with Serbia on Saturday to collect their first point in Group I. The top two teams qualify automatically for the Euro 2016 finals.

Up next for Armenia is a match against Portugal on Nov. 14. Despite carrying the tag of group favourites, Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo lost their first qualifying match, at home to Albania, and will be hoping to turn around their fortunes.

France's next game is at home to Sweden on Nov. 18.

On other days, the match's modest stakes might have made for a low-key start. But France began brightly and took the lead with only seven minutes gone.

Vahan Stepanyan/Associated Press

The scoring sequence began as Gignac pulled down a lofted, angled pass on the right side of Armenia's box. The Marseille man then crossed to Remy in the middle, where his strike partner swept into the net for the opening goal.

It was nearly 2-0 two minutes later, but Dimitri Payet headed over the target from a corner.

Armenia's first good chance came in the 18th minute as Marcos Pizzelli embarked on a thrilling run through France's midsection. Upon reaching the edge of the box, the Brazil-born attacker shot low across his body toward the back post, where France goalkeeper Steve Mandanda pawed the ball out for a corner.

Remy came close to scoring a second time in the 20th minute, shooting wide from the left after Gignac again unlocked the defence with an angled pass. One minute later, Remy found himself free in the box but directed his header straight at Roman Berezovksy.

France had another chance in the 37th minute as Remy turned provider and set up Gignac with a cross to the back post. Gignac pulled down the pass before turning and shooting low on target. The ball seemed destined for the back of the net, but Berezovsky saved impressively with his trailing hand.

At the other end, Mandanda was called into action in the 43rd minute, coming off his line to stop Artem Simonyan.

Hrant Khachatryan/Associated Press

Trailing 1-0 at half-time, Armenia started the second half as the better side. The hosts came close moments after the break as Mandanda was unable to hold a Simonyan shot at the first attempt. 

But in the 55th minute, Paul Pogba—who had entered the match as a substitute at half-time—won France a penalty, drawing a foul after bursting into the box with excellent ball control. Gignac sent Berezovsky the wrong way with his penalty to give Les Bleus a 2-0 lead.

Remy had a shot saved in the 65th minute, and Pogba blasted off target one minute later.

The match seemed to be heading for a quiet finish before Griezmann added France's third on the breakaway in the 83rd minute. Latching on to a long pass from Gignac, Griezmann sidestepped the goalkeeper before slotting into the empty net.

Grades

Loic Remy: A-

Tuesday's match served as a big chance for the Chelsea striker to prove himself to France manager Didier Deschamps. With a goal and a good overall performance, he did nothing at all to hurt his cause.

Remy took his goal well in the seventh minute, finishing coolly from Gignac's pass. He nearly scored another soon after, further showing a good understanding with Gignac.

If there was one blot on Remy's record, it was that he should have done better with a free header later in the first half. 

But while Remy did well against Armenia, it remains unlikely that he will displace more established stars such as Karim Benzema in France's first-choice XI.

Andre-Pierre Gignac: A

This was Gignac's first match for France since Les Bleus' final match at the 2010 World Cup—an absence of more than four years. Needless to say, he made a good impression. 

As noted above, Gignac displayed a good understanding with Remy, setting up the first goal and nearly assisting another in the first half. In the second half, he finally recorded a second assist, playing the long ball that freed Griezmann for France's third goal.

Gignac nearly scored one of his own late in the first half before netting from the penalty spot 10 minutes after the break. All in all, it was a good performance from the Marseille man.

Morgan Schneiderlin and Blaise Matuidi: B+

Schneiderlin and Matuidi controlled the middle of the pitch for France in the first half, with Matuidi making way for Pogba at half-time. During their time together on the pitch, the pair cut out attacks and kept Armenia relatively quiet without having to move out of second gear.

Deschamps likely will have few complaints.

Moussa Sissoko: C

If there was a weak link for France on the night, it was Sissoko, who started on the right side of Les Bleus' 4-2-3-1 formation.

While Schneiderlin and Matuidi controlled the middle, and Gignac and Remy caused problems up front, Sissoko was unable to match his team-mates. Not the best of nights for the Newcastle man on the international stage, especially considering his replacement, Griezmann, managed to score.

Post-Match Reaction

France coach Didier Deschamps (via UEFA.com):

"

I liked the Armenia team – they can do much better but obviously hadn't recovered after the match against Serbia. We had some problems during the first half. I didn't say anything special to my players during the break; they just started to do what they needed. We won because our players played with motivation and enthusiasm.

"

Armenia coach Bernard Challandes (via UEFA.com):

"

This was a very difficult match for us. I wasn't surprised by the result, but I am proud of my players because they turned out after a very difficult game with Serbia three days ago. I don't have the luxury of a lot of players to choose from, like Didier Deschamps does, but we have a chance to go to France [in 2016] and, I tell you, every team should take us seriously.

"