France suffered a dramatic 1-0 defeat against Tunisia in their final group match of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Wahbi Khazri put Tunisia ahead in the second half but substitute Antoine Griezmann thought he had snatched a point for Les Bleus deep into injury-time. However, more drama ensued as the goal was disallowed for offside in the build-up after referee Matthew Conger consulted VAR. France had already qualified for the knockouts before the clash and made a host of changes to their lineup, resting the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele. Complacency certainly crept in for France here as Les Bleus put in a lacklustre performance against Tunisia. So, here’s our France player ratings in their surprise defeat to Tunisia.
France (4-3-3):
Steve Mandanda – 5
Only made a couple of saves here and failed to keep out Khazri’s effort.
Axel Disasi – 6
Put in a fairly solid performance, making a good number of tackles. Also did well in his one-on-one duels, both on the ground and aerially and made a couple of interceptions.
Ibrahima Konate – 7.5
Excellent in possession and was one of France’s better defenders here. Made a number of strong challenges and tackles.
Raphael Varane – 4
Bullied off the ball in the first half by Anis Slimane and got beaten too easily by Khazri in the build up to the opening goal. Poor performance before being subbed off.
Eduardo Camavinga – 7
Deployed in an unnatural position at left-back. Made an important defensive header to deny the incoming Nader Ghandri in the first half. Was caught out a little positionally but was heavily involved throughout.
Aurelien Tchouameni – 6.5
Sat in front of the front four, looking to dictate play. Played a beautiful through ball to set France away just after 20 minutes of play. Kept tempo ticking over and was very accurate in possession. However, perhaps should have imposed better control on the game for his quality.
Matteo Guendouzi – 4.5
Often switched with Veretout to help provide width out on the left with no natural left winger in the lineup. Struggled to influence play throughout and was very quiet overall.
Youssouf Fofana – 5.5
Dispossessed too easily in the midfield for Wahbi Khazri’s opener. Didn’t do enough to impact the game.
Kingsley Coman – 5.5
Had France’s best chance of the first half when Youssouf Fofana played the ball through to him but his first touch let him down and he applied a poor finish. Showed flashes of tidy footwork but didn’t do enough before being subbed off here.
Randal Kolo Muani – 6
Led the line for France after receiving a last-minute call-up following the injury to Christopher Nkunku before the tournament started. Won a few tackles from the front but wasn’t given much service to make an impact on the game offensively. Came close to equalising late on with a decent effort after linking up well with Mbappe and Griezmann.
Jordan Veretout – 4
Was way too easily dispossessed throughout and was bullied off the ball by Tunisia. Played quite wide out on the left which was a little unnatural but struggled before being benched.
Substitutions
Kylian Mbappe – 6
Took a little while to get going but started to change the match late on.