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France got their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign up and running after an unconvincing 2-0 win over minnows Kazakhstan. A sensational effort from Ousmane Dembele followed by an own goal from Serhiy Malyi helped Les Blues to three points at the Astana Arena.
The reigning world champions were once again not up to par, with Kylian Mbappe coming off the bench and missing a penalty late on.
Didier Deschamps' side were frustrated by the Hawks, as they didn't let France create too many opportunities and had to rely on counter-attacks.
One such occasion even resulted in a knock for a surging Anthony Martial, who limped off with a possible injury.
France would eventually be content with the victory, but Deschamps won't be too happy with his team's performance on the night.
On that note, here are five talking points from the match:
#1 France still not at their absolute best
France may have picked up their first win of the ongoing qualifying campaign, but they weren't impressive in the game by any means.
A quality strike and a defensive mistake helped them seal three points.
Purely from a performance standpoint, the reigning world champions just weren't up to snuff, despite some promising counter-attacking moves.
Could the players be fatigued from a hectic club schedule this season? Probably, they lacked the cutting edge in attack despite mustering nine shots on target and looked devoid of ideas despite dominating possession.
Didier Deschamps might be content with taking home all three points, but his side ought to find their mojo with the all-important Euros lurking around the corner.
#2 Serhiy Malyi goes from hero to zero in a moment of madness
Kazakhstan centre-back Serhiy Malyi stole the show with two huge moments in the game, one good and one absolutely bad.
The 30-year old first produced a superb last-ditch block to keep Anthony Martial from doubling France's lead from barely a yard out from goal.
However, he then inadvertently headed the ball into his own net from the ensuing corner just half a minute later.
For one second, Malyi appeared to have given Kazakhstan a lifeline with his crucial intervention, but just moments later, he undid his own hard work with a stupid own goal.
#3 France's poor record from the spot continues
They might be world champions, but France's record from the penalty spot has been chequered of late.
Coming into the match, France had missed half of their last six attempts from 12 yards. On the night, Kylian Mbappe fluffed one too.
The Paris Saint-Germain ace, who had come off the bench, had a golden chance to open his account for 2021 after being fouled inside the area by Kazakh defenders.
However, their goalkeeper Aleksandr Mokin guessed the right way to deny Mbappe from the spot.
Antoine Griezmann, who was the culprit for all the previous three spot-kick misses, wasn't on the field for this one. But Mbappe ensured that France's penalty woes continued.
#4 Kazakhstan get caught on the break
Kazakhstan are arguably the weakest side in Group D, but they showed the potential to cause an upset against France.
They sat deep to block all passing lanes, while goalkeeper Aleksandr Mokin was an indomitable presence between the sticks, also keeping out a penalty.
One downside in this unit, however, is their propensity to get caught out in counter-attacking.
Struggling to carve out opportunities from open play, France found a way to hit the Hawks. And only a lack of cutting edge - and some desperate, last-ditch tackles - kept them from extending their lead.
Kazakhstan can also count themselves lucky to have finished the match with 11 men on the field. On some other day, they could've had a few red cards.
However, the situation of making desperate defending won't come up if they don't leave so much gap at the back for opponents to exploit on the break.
#5 Anthony Martial's injury a cause of concern for Manchester United?
Anthony Martial was having an excellent outing for France, assisting Dembele's opener with a superb cross.
However, the Manchester United star's evening came to a premature end after limping off with an apparent injury in the second half. He went down under a challenge from Maliy inside the box and, following some treatment on the sidelines, continued to play.
But he lasted just seven more minutes, and Martial was eventually taken off for Mbappe, probably as a precautionary measure.
More developments about his condition can be expected in the coming hours, but the Red Devils will hope there's nothing serious.
As the club season enters its home stretch, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will need Martial, with their sights fixed on clinching the Europa League.
