France 2-3 Colombia: 5 Talking Points

In what proved to be the most shocking result on the night of the international friendlies, Colombia came back from a two-goal deficit to beat France in their own backyard. The last goal of the night came off a penalty in the 85th minute of the game.

This is a major setback and an important reality check for the French team, which is touted to be one of the leading challengers for the FIFA World Cup to be hosted in Russia later this year.

Colombia, on the other hand, have now received a huge confidence boost in the build-up to the big tournament.

Let us look at five talking points from the thrilling encounter:

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#5 Last minute drama

Quintero kept his composure to score a late penalty

It was Juan Fernando Quintero's late penalty that secured the win for the visitors in the 85th minute of the game.

Samuel Umtiti made a shaky error in the penalty box at the business end of the game and fouled Jose Izquierdo. Quintero, who came in as the substitute, took the chance and made sure that he screamed it past Lloris with efficiency.

"Colombia really showed the character of a World Cup side. Not only did we turn the match around, we won it," said Jose Pekerman, the Colombian head coach.

#2 Lack of composure from France

Deschamps was not a happy man

The stunning Colombian comeback definitely was due to the fight and spirit showed by the visitors, but the lack of concentration from France was also a major factor behind it.

The Frenchmen lost the possession of the ball way too many times and struggled to assert their lead on the proceedings. In spite of leading by two goals after 26 minutes, the hosts capitulated to the Colombian attack, both physically and mentally.

"There's a lot of quality in this team but it's not enough. The highest level requires much more determination," said French boss, Didier Deschamps, after the game.

#3 Olivier Giroud shines despite club woes

Giroud finally found his scoring boots

This season has been difficult for the Chelsea forward. He hardly got game-time at Arsenal in the first half of the season and he slipped down the pecking order even further with the addition of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the Gunners.

He then moved from North London to West London and swapped the Arsenal red for the Chelsea blue. However, the shift did not change his fortunes and the Frenchman has managed just one goal for the Blues so far.

However, he stepped up for his country yet again, despite the woeful run he has had at the club level this season. He netted Lucas Digne's cross in the 11th minute of the game with a powerful and seamless finish to give his team a 1-0 lead. It was his 30th goal for the Les Bleus and also accounted for his ninth strike in nine starts for them.

#4 Colombia's spirited attack

Falcao put in a vintage performance for Colombia

The visitors came out swinging in the second half of the game. They not only pressed France in their own box but also put up an exciting attacking display in the last 40 minutes of the game.

Luis Muriel, who scored the opening goal for Colombia, had a great chance right in the beginning of the second half. France looked rattled and their opposition seemed to grow from strength to strength thereafter.

France looked sloppy ever since their two-goal lead was spliced by half, and they paid for that in the 62nd minute of the game. James Rodriguez and Radamel Falco combined brilliantly to notch up the equalizer of the night.

Colombia had four shots on target and they converted three of them into goals, which proved the efficiency in their finishing.

#5 Paul Pogba on the bench

Pogba will need to step up his game

While the Manchester United midfielder was brought into the game in the 65th minute of the game, it was the pair of N'Golo Kante and Blaise Matuidi that started ahead of him.

Assistant coach of the French team, Guy Stephan, attributed Pgba's absence in the starting XI to a muscle injury and his lack of playing time with the Red Devils recently. It has been a tough beginning to the year for the 25-year-old as he has been a sporadic presence in the first XI at Old Trafford for some time now.

However, while he couldn't bring his best to the table, he still managed to show glimpses of promise against Colombia. His curling effort from outside the box was only stopped because of a terrific save from David Ospina in the 72nd minute of the game.