Fanfare for Les Espoirs: A look at France's U-21s
With the international break winding down, we run the rule over the two matches played by the French U-21 team against Iceland and Luxembourg.
Luxembourg 1-5 France: The Fofana show
In the first of two qualifiers for next summer's U-21 European Championships, Gérard Baticle's side shone brightly against an overmatched opponent. Looking to shake off the disappointment of a heavy defeat in the semifinals of last summer's tournament, France had racked up three wins and a draw ahead of this match, and even without key players like Mathys Tel and Djaoui Cissé, they still looked to inflict a heavy defeat.
France got stuck into the match quickly, with former Nantes defender Nathan Zézé opening the scoring in the second minute, and had three goals inside twenty minutes, with Steve Ngoura and Valentin Atangana also netting. The best would come at the match's end though, as Lens winger Rayan Fofana would score twice in the match's final ten minutes, making an impressive debut at this age level.
Despite conceding late in the match, France were in control from start to finish, earning plaudits from Baticle, who averred that, "felt a real unity. Everyone put themselves at the service of the team, new and old, and this from the beginning of the game. This allowed us to start well by scoring from the second minute, to press, to widen the gap and to put in place our game"
Ayyoub Bouaddi, a rising talent 📈👀 pic.twitter.com/9HfJSrcHrS
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) March 26, 2026
France 2-1 iceland: a vital three points
The team's second match, played in Auxerre, was hardly plain sailing though. Iceland had entered the match in second place and despite Noé Lebreton opening the scoring, the visitors would quickly level from the spot. Zézé would put his side ahead just before the half hour, but Lens' Robin Risser would be tested in goal, and was even thankful to have a shot from range carom off of his crossbar in added time.
Despite the nervy nature of the win, France are now five points ahead of Iceland with four matches to play, the result a big step towards securing a place in Albania and Serbia next summer. Aside from Fofana's brace in the opening fixture, several Ligue 1 McDonald's players impressed over the two encounters -- Nantes' Dehmaine Tabibou, who was previously uncapped at this level, notched the assist for Lebreton this evening, while Mamadou Coulibaly of AS Monaco also impressed in his first start.
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