France 3-0 Wales: Three Things We Learned

There’s always going to be some tension and uncertainty floating in the air when we’ve got just days to go before a big international tournament. Thus, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise for fans to learn that the ongoing friendlies that are taking place this week probably don’t actually have as significant of an impact as you may think.

With that being said, we were still treated to a pretty entertaining showcase between France and Wales last night with the reigning world champions stretching their legs in an impressive 3-0 victory.

Uncertain return for Benzema

The return of Karim Benzema to the national team has been long overdue and, in reality, it could prove to be the difference-maker for France in what is set to be an unbelievably competitive European Championship this summer. Alas, his return didn’t quite go to plan last night and while he did manage to have a few bright moments including hitting the post for an eventual assist, he also missed a penalty. If he wants to start France’s first game, he’ll need to be as sharp as he has been domestically.

Welsh dismay

Between the Ryan Giggs scandal and their general performance last night, it was tough to find all too many positives for this Wales team. They’ve got a few major match winners within their ranks and they did reach the semi-finals of this tournament back in 2016, but they really do need to get their affairs in order if they want to even progress from the group this time around. They’re good when they want to be, but those moments are turning out to be few and far between.

Les Bleus build confidence

France are viewed as one of the clear favourites to win the Euros this summer and make it two in a row alongside their World Cup success in Russia – and it’s not hard to see why. Sure, they don’t always click into place as a unit, but they’ve got the experience of winning that tournament under their belt and they probably have the best squad in the Euros this year alongside England. They’ll head into this with very little fear, knowing they hold all the cards and that they should be more than capable of making a major statement as the countdown to kickoff continues.

Match Report

Referee: Luís Godinho

Goals: Mbappe, Griezmann, Dembele

Yellow Cards: Varane, Moore

Red Cards: Williams