International friendly: England 1 France 2

Karim Benzema and Mathieu Valbuena scored on either side of half-time for the visitors while Peter Crouch netted late to flatter an utterly dominated English side.

France have continued to gain momentum under new manager Blanc after the side imploded in their disastrous World Cup campaign in South Africa earlier this year.

Their precise passing and movement worried England throughout the match, although the performance of debutant Andy Carroll was a positive for Fabio Capello’s side.

The visitors took control from the outset and opened their account when Benzema and Florent Malouda combined to dissect the English defence before Real Madrid striker Benzema beat Ben Foster at his near post.

England created little going forward despite Carroll providing presence up front, while the inclusion of Adam Johnson, Ashley Young and Micah Richards after the break did little to stop the French onslaught.

It took just 10 minutes after the restart for France to register their second goal of the match; Valbuena sweeping home his volley after Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna broke away down the right flank.

Samir Nasri then hit the woodwork before substitute Crouch, replacing Steven Gerrard after the Liverpool skipper suffered a suspected hamstring injury, made an immediate impact with a volley from close range in the 82nd minute.

But England could not find another goal as France completed their fourth straight victory under Blanc.