CHISINAU • France coach Didier Deschamps believes that his world champions could have inflicted a heavier defeat on Moldova, despite a convincing 4-1 victory to kick off their opening Euro 2020 qualifying campaign on Friday.
Antoine Griezmann scored one and set up another as World Cup winners France easily beat Moldova in Chisinau in the Group H match.
The Atletico Madrid attacker opened the scoring in the 24th minute before crossing for Raphael Varane to double the advantage three minutes later.
Olivier Giroud then equalled David Trezeguet as Les Bleus' third-highest scorer of all time with his 34th international goal nine minutes before the break.
Kylian Mbappe completed the rout with three minutes left, before Vladimir Ambros claimed a late consolation for Moldova.
"We could have scored more," said Deschamps. "But these matches are still complicated.
"My players handled the game the right way. We did not fall into any trap.
"The goal conceded does not take anything from our good game. It was a potentially tricky match but we did what we had to.
"We did not give Moldova time to organise and to get back, and we have to keep it that way."
Left-back Layvin Kurzawa was the only member of the starting line-up without a World Cup medal.
Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman pulled out during the warm-up with a muscle issue and was replaced by Blaise Matuidi.
"We've opened our campaign well and the second game comes around quickly," Deschamps added ahead of facing Iceland at the Stade de France tomorrow. "In three days we have do it again."
Meanwhile, European champions Portugal were held to a 0-0 draw in Lisbon by Ukraine in their opening qualifier as talisman Cristiano Ronaldo returned for the first time since the World Cup.
Ukraine's veteran goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov kept Portugal at bay with several fine saves in the first hour, before the hosts ran out of ideas in the Group B game.
"The team had some good moments and some difficult moments," said Portugal coach Fernando Santos, whose side have a tough match at home to Serbia tomorrow.
"We failed to take three or four chances in the first half.
"Now we have to unwind and think about Serbia.
"It's a bit of a blow to our morale but the players will get over it."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
Saudi Arabia Look for Return to Asian Power Status The days when they were one of the major powers in the region are a fading memory now, though, and in the last two versions of the Asian Cup they have failed to progress from their group.
2022 FIFA World Cup - Wikipedia
Rescuers ended their search on Thursday for the plane carrying Premier League football player Emiliano Sala, which disappeared over the English Channel three days ago, after saying there was little chance anyone aboard had survived.
Football news - Rescuers end search for missing plane
April 6 (Reuters) - Crystal Palace all but banished any lingering relegation fears as captain Luka Milivojevic fired home a late penalty to secure a 1-0 Premier League victory at Newcastle on
Milivojevic penalty seals Palace win at Newcastle - The
Valencia president Anil Murthy is confident the club can become of the best in Europe in the coming years thanks to the economic and social stability at Mestalla. After coming 12th in consecutive
Lee Kang-in, South Korea football, La Liga, Socceroos
Category Music; Song Keep You in Mind; Artist Guordan Banks; Album Keep You in Mind; Licensed to YouTube by Kobalt (AWAL Digital Limited), Vydia (on behalf of Bank On It Entertainment, LLC); Sony
Juve's old guard bidding to finish off Ajax kids. Cristiano Ronaldo will spearhead Juventus' old guard as they look to finish the job on Tuesday against Ajax's impressive young guns in a
Football: Juventus's old guard bidding to finish job against
Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa's sportsmanlike decision to allow Aston Villa to score unopposed in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Leeds has been hailed by former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. Wenger said that the incident was more remarkable given that promotion to the Premier League was at stake for the Championship club.
Wenger hails Leeds' Bielsa for sportsmanship in Villa draw
"We have exceptional young players who weren't given the licence to express themselves, and being able to express yourself is something that is often associated with United," Yorke, who has scored
Determined Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was 'rare breed' at Man Utd
Jul 10, 2018 · Brother Ekk: Thai coach who put players first right to the end "He taught us to meditate for a few minutes to calm down and have concentration before a game."
Game Changer Strain Information — Leafly
Football: Guardiola tips City as comeback 'heroes', Football
Pep Guardiola said his Manchester City team will be poised to pounce if Premier League leaders Liverpool falter, following a comfortable 3-0 win over Wolves on Monday that left City four points
Man City ready to pounce on any Liverpool slip-ups, says
Spurs are back in Champions League action at Wembley on Wednesday. Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino says he is "a little disappointed" with the Premier League for making his side play on Sunday
Spurs' Pochettino: I made difficult choice to turn down Real
global.espn.com/football/tottenham-hotspur/story/3846455/spurs-pochettino-i-made-difficult-choice-to-turn-down-real-madrid
Pochettino's side defeated Ajax Amsterdam 3-2 (3-3 on aggregate) in dramatic fashion on Wednesday in their Champions League semifinal second leg, advancing to the June 1 final in Madrid against Liverpool, but the Argentine said he had the chance to move to the Spanish capital permanently.
'Pochettino could be a United manager' - Berbatov - goal.com
What do adders look like and can they kill? The only venomous snakes native to the UK - here's all you need to know While the adder's bite can be very painful and the venom does have the
Bargain Shopping at Torrevieja Markets - Spain Holiday
0 comments:
Post a Comment