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France and Wales locked horns at the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice, as the two sides stepped up their preparations for the European Championships later this month. Didier Deschamps named a strong starting XI and his players rewarded him with an impressive display, as they recorded a 3-0 win on Karim Benzema's return to the side.
The Real Madrid striker made his first appearance for France in five years after a long hiatus due to disciplinary reasons and endured an eventful night up front for the hosts. Benzema had a close-range header saved by Danny Ward and looked lively as ever, as Les Bleus started the game on the front foot.
Wales stood their ground in the opening exchanges but fizzled out after an impressive start, with Neco Williams' handball and eventual sending off proving to be a decisive moment in the game. Benzema stepped up from the spot for the resulting spot-kick, but his effort was brilliantly saved by Ward.
However, France took the lead through Kylian Mbappe, who reacted quickest to nod the ball home from close range after another fine save from the Wales goalkeeper.
The reigning world champions took control of the game in the second half through a stunning goal from Antoine Griezmann, whose left-footed shot riffled into the top corner after a clever flick from Mbappe. Ousmane Dembele put the icing on the cake with a late goal, as Wales failed to recover after going a man down in the first half.
On that note, here are five talking points from a routine victory for Les Bleus at home.
#5 Wales were hard done by a harsh red card decision
Neco Williams clearly handled the ball from close range, but the Liverpool man couldn't do much to get his arms out of the way of Benzema's effort. A penalty was awarded upon consultation with the VAR, but the referee's decision to hand Williams his marching order was a harsh one.
You could say justice prevailed, as France missed the resulting penalty. However, Les Bleus made the man advantage count and piled on the pressure to take control of the game after Williams' sending off.
#4 Danny Ward takes his chance with an assured display
Leicester City goalkeeper Danny Ward got his chance between the sticks and produced an eye-catching display despite ending up on the losing side. He denied Benzema from close range in the opening exchanges and topped it off by thwarting the Real Madrid striker again in the first half, this time from the penalty spot.
Ward made a series of impressive saves either side of half-time and commanded the six-yard box with aplomb. If he starts against Albania on Saturday and continues his rich vein of form, the former Liverpool man is likely to be Wales' first-choice goalkeeper at Euro 2020.
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#3 Jules Kounde and Corentin Tolisso stake claim for starting XI spot
In the absence of N'Golo Kante, Corentin Tolisso was chosen to start alongside Paul Pogba and Adrien Rabiot in midfield for France. The Bayern Munich midfielder has been ravaged by injuries in recent seasons, but he gave Didier Deschamps a timely reminder of his quality with an impressive display.
Starting as the deepest midfielder, Tolisso kept things ticking for France and made a series of eye-catching passes while also showcasing his box-to-box ability.
Jules Kounde, on the other hand, made his France debut as a right-back, as he came on for Benjamin Pavard after the interval. The Sevilla defender, who is primarily a central defender, proved his quality with a superb cameo. Kounde is much quicker than Pavard and could be better suited to cope with pacy attackers, with France set to lock horns with Germany, Hungary and Portugal in the group stages.
Deschamps has quality players to choose from across the pitch, but Kounde's second-half display could tempt him to start the young defender ahead of the Bayern Munich man.
#2 Karim Benzema impresses on France return despite penalty miss
Karim Benzema justified his return to the France squad with a top-class display. The Real Madrid striker missed a penalty, but he showed flashes of brilliance and combined well with Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe.
In his first appearance for Les Bleus in five years, Benzema did everything but score, as he firmly established himself in the starting XI. France currently have arguably the strongest squad in world football, but the 33-year-old's addition to the side could turn out to be the X-factor at Euro 2020 for Deschamps.
#1 France's attack is worth its weight in gold
Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann started together in what was a star-studded France front-three. In their first start together, they combined well to comfortably dispatch Wales, indicating that a destructive triumvirate could well be in the making.
Les Bleus did win the 2018 FIFA World Cup with Olivier Giroud as the focal point of the attack, but Benzema is a different breed of attacker and is arguably one of the most complete strikers of his generation. The 33-year-old slotted into the lineup seamlessly and produced a brilliant display, as France looked much more assured upfront.
With the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Kingsley Coman and Wissam Ben Yedder as attacking options off the bench, Deschamps has his bases covered in the final third and looks set to make maximum use of his squad at Euro 2020.
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