France beat Colombia 3-1 in Landover and the headline is Désiré Doué. The 20-year-old scored in the 29th and 56th minutes, either side of Marcus Thuram’s finish in the 41st, as D. Deschamps used this friendly to road-test a remodelled 4-2-3-1. Jaminton Campaz pulled one back in the 77th minute but the damage was already done.
Deschamps trusted a trio behind Thuram of Maghnes Akliouche, Rayan Cherki and Doué, and they stretched N. Lorenzo’s back four early. The opener in the 29th minute owed plenty to Cherki’s patience between the lines and the constant movements of Thuram that occupied Davinson Sánchez and Juan Cabal. Thuram then scored in the 41st minute, taking Akliouche’s assist to double the lead seconds after collecting a yellow card in the 39th minute for a foul. It was clinical: France produced five shots on target and converted three by minute 56.
Deschamps wanted fuller control in the pivot, hence Warren Zaïre-Emery alongside N’Golo Kanté from the start. Colombia struggled to press that axis and Lorenzo reacted with a triple change at half-time, bringing on Jhon Córdoba, Andrés Gómez and Gustavo Puerta. Even so, Doué scored again in the 56th minute from Thuram’s pass before seeing yellow in the 50th minute. His withdrawal in the 63rd minute for Hugo Ekitiké underlined that the job was done and minutes needed to be managed.
Lorenzo kept switching pieces. By the 63rd minute Luis Díaz, Johan Mojica and James Rodríguez were off for Jaminton Campaz, Deiver Machado and Juan Fernando Quintero, leaving Jefferson Lerma as the only constant in midfield. Campaz finally found space in the 77th minute, finishing Lerma’s assist to reduce the deficit just three minutes after Eduardo Camavinga, freshly on for Zaïre-Emery in the 64th minute, had been booked in the 74th minute for a foul that broke Colombian momentum.
Cherki’s 78-minute shift gave way to Michael Olise, while Kylian Mbappé entered for Thuram in the same minute. The cameos were low key yet hinted at Deschamps’ depth. Brice Samba’s four saves, including a key stop on Córdoba, preserved control even as Colombia finished with nine corners and five shots on target. Puerta’s card in the 61st minute reflected how late Colombia were arriving to duels and the final quarter-hour showcased France’s composure in retreat, led by Lucas Hernández and Maxence Lacroix marshalling the box.
Key Statistics
- Possession: Colombia 45 percent, France 55 percent
- Shots on target: Colombia 5, France 5
- Total shots: Colombia 13, France 14
- Corner kicks: Colombia 9, France 5
- Passing accuracy: Colombia 82 percent (304 of 370), France 87 percent (407 of 467)
France now pivot to the next stop on this North American tour with Deschamps set to rotate again, while Colombia must regroup before returning to Bogotá. For those tracking the wider European picture ahead of Tuesday’s friendlies, our preview of Czech Republic vs Denmark has the latest on Group F planning.
