Ivory Coast produced a second-half comeback to beat France 2-1 in a friendly in Nantes on Thursday, handing Les Bleus their first defeat in nine matches ahead of this summer’s World Cup.
Ryan Cherki gave France the lead with a fine strike shortly after the interval, but Ivory Coast responded swiftly through Guela Doué, who equalised in the 53rd minute before setting up Amad Diallo for the winner. It was the first time Ivory Coast had beaten France in their history. Guela is the older brother of Paris Saint-Germain and France forward Désiré Doué.
France had looked comfortable through much of the first half. Kylian Mbappé started as captain and was a consistent threat, helping create several chances before being substituted at the break. Cherki, 22, was the pick of the French players: he came close to scoring in the 31st minute after a Marcus Thuram pull-back, only to be denied at the last moment, and then nearly assisted an Aurélien Tchouaméni header that goalkeeper Yahia Fofana pushed away. He did get his goal just before half-time, collecting a loose ball on the right side of the box, using a clever backheel to beat a defender, and driving a right-footed shot into the far corner past Fofana.
The second half was a different story. Coach Didier Deschamps made ten substitutions and France’s shape dissolved. Nicolas Pépé found Doué, who beat Mike Maignan to equalise, then Doué’s cross was converted by Diallo to complete the turnaround.
The defeat ends France’s nine-game unbeaten run, though their preparations continue with one more warm-up match against Northern Ireland in Lille on Monday. Their World Cup opener against Senegal is on June 16.
Ivory Coast open their tournament against Ecuador on June 15.
