Portugal vs. France: Winners and Losers from International Friendly
France used a late second-half free-kick goal from Mathieu Valbuena to get past Portugal 1-0 at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on Friday night.
Les Blues enjoyed the majority of the possession in the international friendly, but it took them until the 85th minute to beat Rui Patricio.
Portugal left the pitch upset with the final result, but they have plenty of positives to build on heading into their clash with Albania in Euro qualifying on Monday.
Here's a look at our winners and losers from France's 1-0 win over Portugal.
Winner: Mathieu Valbuena
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Within minutes of entering the playing field, Mathieu Valbuena delivered the knockout punch by way of a free-kick just outside the top of the box.
As France were setting up for the set piece, Valbuena displayed plenty of confidence as he waved off his teammates and decided to take the kick himself.
The bold decision paid off for the midfielder as he knocked his eighth career international goal past Rui Patricio and into the roof of the net.
Valbuena may not have played many minutes on Friday, but by scoring the game-winning goal, he made Didier Deschamps look like a genius, and he boosted his own personal stock.
Loser: Jose Fonte
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The usually reliable Jose Fonte was on the wrong end of the foul that set up Valbuena's free-kick goal in the 85th minute.
The Southampton defender banged into Antoine Griezmann as he was controlling a pass near the top of the box. Although Portugal thought the call was soft, Fonte shouldn't have put himself in that position in the first place.
Not long after the referee whistled Fonte for the foul, Rui Patricio was picking the ball out of the net, and the home support in Lisbon was deflated.
When the meaningful games in Euro qualification come around, stupid fouls like the one Fonte committed can't be made. Even if a team is playing bad against Portugal, all it takes is one brilliant moment to decide the match.
Winners: Laurent Koscielny and Raphael Varane
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France's center-back duo of Laurent Koscielny and Raphael Varane did their best to end Les Blues' brutal defensive record in 2015.
Entering the contest in Lisbon, Les Blues had conceded on eight occasions in four matches with only one clean sheet coming against Belgium.
While Portugal may not possess the best overall attack in Europe, they do have one of the best playmakers in the world on their roster. By limiting Cristiano Ronaldo's touches to start the match, the men at the back for France were able to keep Portugal out of a rhythm for the entire match.
The strong defensive performance came at the perfect time for France as they now have plenty of confidence heading into a busy schedule at the back end of 2015 that includes matches against England, Germany and Serbia.
Loser: Nabil Fekir
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Friday was supposed to be a highlight in the young international career of Nabil Fekir, but instead it turned into a night to forget as the Lyon man went off injured in the 14th minute.
Didier Deschamps handed Fekir a start next to Karim Benzema in the 4-1-3-2 formation in order to see what the 22-year-old would be able to do next to an experienced veteran versus a tough opponent.
In the 13th minute, Fekir went down on the left wing without contact, and a minute later he was replaced by Antoine Griezmann. To add insult to injury, Griezmann impressed during his time on the pitch in place of Fekir.
If there is any good news to come out of Friday's match for Fekir, it is the lack of playing time Anthony Martial received. In the race for a potential roster spot at forward next summer, neither young Frenchman was able to contribute in a major way.
Winners: Portugal's Inexperienced Midfielders
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Although France dictated the match's pace, they did not find a ton of success when they played through the middle.
Part of the reason why Les Blues could not get an attack going in the middle of the pitch was the play of Portugal's makeshift inexperienced midfield trio.
Joao Mario, Adrien Silva and Danilo Pereira entered the match with nine combined appearances at the international level. Against some of the world's best central midfielders, the trio held their own.
If there is one positive for Fernando Santos to take away from the match, it is the depth he is building in midfield with Joao Moutinho out and Miguel Veloso on the bench.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
