France vs. Cameroon: Score, Reaction from 2016 International Friendly
France beat Cameroon 3-2 in an international friendly on Monday in their penultimate match ahead of the upcoming UEFA Euro 2016 tournament.
Blaise Matuidi gave the hosts the lead with a smart volley, but Vincent Aboubakar equalised just two minutes later. Another volley from Olivier Giroud ensured France would head into half-time with the lead. In the second half, Les Bleus dominated possession but created few chances, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting shocked the hosts with a late equaliser.
Fortunately for the home side, Dimitri Payet found a late winner. France will play one more friendly against Scotland on Saturday, June 4, ahead of the start of Euro 2016.
As shared by their official Twitter account, France gave Kingsley Coman and Payet the chance to show their worth out wide:
France started the match on the front foot as expected, with Patrice Evra finding plenty of space to move forward and deliver crosses.
Payet also tried his luck with several smart free-kicks, but the Indomitable Lions defended the deliveries well initially. Chances were few in the opening stages, but Les Bleus largely owned possession.
The first real chance of the match fell to Karl Toko Ekambi, however, as Cameroon carved open the French defence with pace and the forward fired a hard shot at Hugo Lloris' goal. Per Andrew Gibney of Bleacher Report UK, France's lack of defensive fortitude was worrisome:
Aboubakar barely missed the target with a good header, before Matuidi opened the score. Coman found space down the wing before pulling the ball back for the Paris Saint-Germain man, who expertly fired a volley into the corner.
Mark Rodden of ESPN FC noted their lead didn't last long, although he didn't doubt Les Bleus had more goals in them:
Aboubakar hit back almost instantly, as Allan Nyom played a perfect ball into his path that Lloris had no chance of poking away.
France seemed shocked to have conceded so soon after taking the lead, and the defence kept giving Cameroon far too much space.
Aboubakar could have doubled his tally after a corner-kick, as the ball somehow went through the pack and ended up on his left foot. He missed the goal badly, however.
On the other side of the pitch, Giroud couldn't aim his header on target, and Paul Pogba suffered the same fate, although he should have done far more with his chance.
The Juventus star would make up for it shortly before half-time, however, firing a phenomenal cross into Giroud's path, and the Arsenal man made it 2-1.
Per Bleacher Report's Jonathan Johnson, the hosts should find success at Euro 2016 if Pogba can replicate those moments of magic during the tournament:
Laurent Koscielny headed the final chance of the half over the bar, as play came to a conclusion with the score still 2-1.
A handful of substitutions meant the second half started at a far slower pace, with the new players trying to figure out their role.
France were the more positive side, but Evra was called back for offside when he thought he had breached the defence, before a cross from a good position was blocked minutes later.
Giroud could have doubled his tally after 55 minutes following a defensive error, but he failed to work the ball past goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa, who made a great stop with his foot. The stopper was on point to deny Pogba's curling effort as well, before N'Golo Kante fired a shot wide.
A third French goal seemed more likely than an equaliser, but big chances were rare. Coman had a shot blocked, as did Payet minutes later. Les Bleus had nearly 70 percent possession at one stage of the half, but with so many back-ups on the pitch midway through the half, the quality of play dropped.
France manager Didier Deschamps made the decision to hold on for the win with 10 minutes left, introducing Yohan Cabaye in favour of Coman.
France started pushing less deep up the pitch, opting to keep possession in their own half. Adil Rami sent a weak header into the arms of Ondoa, and Andre-Pierre Gignac's shot flew well over the bar.
France seemed on their way to an easy win, but a high ball into the box late on caused confusion in the French defence, and Choupo Moting eventually pushed the ball over the line.
But the biggest twist was still to come. France earned a free-kick after a foul on Kante, and West Ham star Payet did what he does best, curling a fantastic effort past Ondoa via the post.
It impressed ESPN Radio's Maximiliano Bretos:
Ondoa made one more diving save to deny Matuidi his second goal, before the official brought an end to the match.
Les Bleus will play one more friendly against Scotland before they start their Euro 2016 bid with a match against Romania at the Stade de France on Friday, June 10.
Post-Match Reaction
Per Goal's Joe Wright, Payet told L'Equipe he now feels he has to score every time France get a free-kick from a promising position: "When you score one, then two, then three, the crowd expect that you score every time. That doesn't always happen, even though it worked again tonight."
He also expressed his delight at returning to Nantes, where he played for two seasons.
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