France vs. Brazil: Score, Grades, Reaction from International Friendly
Brazil claimed their first-ever win at the Stade de France on Thursday evening after goals from Neymar and Oscar led Dunga's team to a 3-1 triumph in a repeat of the 1998 World Cup Final.
Raphael Varane headed the hosts into an early lead, but Didier Deschamps' side were unable to hang on, with ESPN FC confirming the Selecao's landmark victory on French soil:
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France No. 1 Steve Mandanda was forced into action early as the Brazilians looked to gain the initial foothold, and he did his part in keeping the visitors at bay.
His work paid dividends in the 21st minute when Varane rose to meet a Mathieu Valbuena corner, leaving Real Madrid TV presenter Phil Kitromilides in awe as he opened the lead for his team:
From there, the midfield battle proved to be particularly heated as the likes of Blaise Matuidi and Luiz Gustavo warred for possession.
The guests gradually started to climb their way into the match via that route but couldn't make good on the chances they managed to cut out as Mandanda's wall held firm.
As evidenced by Varane's goal, set pieces continued to look the most likely juncture at which France would build on their lead, but Oscar was adamant not to see his side fall further behind.
Collecting a Roberto Firmino pass on the edge of France's area, the Chelsea midfielder poked past Mandanda to level the score for Brazil, earning praise from Andy Scott of Agence France-Presse:
Despite the goal, Deschamps was likely encouraged by a bulk of the defensive work shown by his players, although Brazil's fast and furious attack rate looked threatening at every angle.
The two teams went in level at the break, with OptaJean noting France's penchant for scoring headed goals past the Selecao:
A raft of France legends, including Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Marcel Desailly, were on hand to witness the friendly, although the drama proved to be the opposite.
Neymar took it upon himself to show he wasn't treating the low-risk affair lightly when, 12 minutes after the restart, he lashed home a ferocious strike from the left side of the French box. Barcastuff illustrated what a prestigious record the Barcelona ace now holds against elite national teams:
"Neymar is the first BRA player ever to score against ARG, GER, ITA, ESP and FRA #fcblive [via @barca19stats]
— barcastuff (@barcastuff) March 26, 2015"
It was around the hour mark that France also fashioned several significant scoring opportunities of their own, but Les Bleus were lacking a clinical touch in front of goal.
A certain level of pride was at stake for two of world football's most esteemed national teams, but try as they might, the likes of Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann struggled to pull France back into the fixture.
French hopes went from bad to worse with Gustavo heading in a Willian corner in the 69th minute to open some daylight between the two sides.
While he played the hero in front of this goal just an hour earlier, Varane was partly to blame for allowing Gustavo to leap unopposed, according to writer Samuel Jay C:
Brazil turned possession further in their favour after claiming a two-goal cushion, predictably sitting on their lead as Dunga's men looked to shut out a valuable European win.
The final 20 minutes took on a slower pace and France struggled to weave their way back into the fray, leaving the Stade de France with the knowledge they have work to do in the buildup to Euro 2016.
For Brazil, the result served as some redemption for their defeat 17 years ago, managing to not only score their first goal at the Stade de France, but to also walk away with a historic victory.
Player Grades
Raphael Varane: B-
The Real Madrid man had a mixed evening in front of some esteemed French stars, initially impressing with the opening goal but showing a few too many lapses in judgement at the back.
Varane will accept he might have done more to stop Brazil's third goal being scored quite so simply, while more time in the international fold may be required to develop a firm understanding with those around him.
Oscar: A-
The midfield marvel hasn't endured his most fruitful spell at Stamford Bridge of late, but on Thursday evening we saw glimpses of Oscar back to his string-pulling best, and the goal showcased a poacher's touch.
As Nic English of Squawka pointed out, his partnership alongside Neymar was critical to Brazil's success and a wealth of the Selecao's chances had Oscar at their core:
Neymar: A-
At his best, Neymar is a joy to watch and consistently looks like the one player capable of hoisting Brazil from any gloom, just as he did with the vital second goal in Paris.
What was most enamouring about this performance was that despite a slow first half, Neymar looked so motivated after the break, and his vicious strike past Mandanda had every sign of intent over it.
Despite still being just 23, the youngster is steadily closing the gap on Brazil's all-time top scorer list, too, per Squawka:
Post-Match Reaction
Having exited the 2014 World Cup under such dire circumstances, Brazil manager Dunga has been seeking to return the team to their former glory since taking over the helm last year.
In the wake of Thursday's win, he noted the team is still recovering confidence from that infamous 7-1 defeat to Germany, per Rio 2016 media consultant Betise Head:
Dunga stated France would always be a threat from the set piece and made points both positive and negative on the victory, but did state his delight to see the mentality of his Selecao substitutes:
The head coach isn't dwelling on this result, however, and is already turning his attention toward Sunday's friendly against Chile:
Sunday's clash promises to again test the Brazilians and Dunga's unbeaten record since taking control of the national team.
However, Thursday's victory served as a signal that this Brazil side may be nearing the levels reached around the time of the 2013 Copa Libertadores and will give the Selecao supreme confidence preparing for another elite encounter.
