Football

France vs Republic of Ireland player ratings: Les Bleus prove too much for Kenny’s men

September 7, 2023 10:02 pm
france vs republic of ireland player ratings
15 Marcus THURAM (fra) during the Group B - UEFA EURO 2024 Qualifying Round match between France and Ireland at Parc des Princes on September 7, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Philippe Lecoeur/FEP/Icon Sport)

  • France beat the Republic of Ireland 2-0 to take a commanding position in Group B in European Championship qualifying.
  • Goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Marcus Thuram were enough for France on the night.
  • Republic of Ireland will now need to bounce back with a win against the Netherlands on Sunday night to keep their qualification hopes alive.

France player ratings: Deschamps’ men a class above

Mike Maignan 7/10 – His distribution was excellent throughout and had a quiet night in terms of shots against him.

Jules Kounde 7/10 – Looks like a natural wherever he’s asked to play.

Dayot Upamecano 6/10 – Questions marks about his comfort on the ball and made a few clumsy mistakes.

Lucas Hernandez 7/10 – Looked more assured than Upamecano but was afforded more time on the ball.

Theo Hernandez 6/10 – Lacked quality with his delivery but it’s not a huge issue when you’re on the same side as Mbappe.

Adrien Rabiot 6/10 – Took too many touches at times when he should have kept the ball moving.

Aurelien Tchouameni 8/10 – Excellent in everything that he did and his goal was masterful.

Kylian Mbappe 7/10 – Scared the life out of the Irish defence and will feel as if he should have had a goal or two.

Antoine Griezmann 7/10 – Continues to look like the creative hub of the French team.

Ousmane Dembele 6/10 – Overcomplicated matters at times but still gave Stevens the runaround before he was subbed off.

Olivier Giroud N/A

Substitutes

Marcus Thuram 8/10 – Came on in the first half for the injured Giroud and got himself a goal. Giroud won’t last forever – is Thuram the long-term replacement?

William Saliba N/A

Kingsley Coman N/A

Benjamin Pavard N/A

Eduardo Camavinga N/A

Republic of Ireland player ratings: A plucky display from the boys in green

Gavin Bazunu 7/10 – Made some good saves to keep the score respectable.

Nathan Collins 7/10 – Looked like the only Irish defender capable of dealing with the likes of Mbappe and Griezmann. Made a series of great blocks and challenges.

John Egan 5/10 – Not the man you want to be dealing with the pace of Mbappe.

Enda Stevens 5/10 – Was fortunate that Dembele’s final delivery was poor but he struggled.

Shane Duffy 5/10 – Didn’t know whether to stick or twist against Mbappe, but he won’t be the last.

Alan Browne 6/10 – Put in a supreme shift and couldn’t have given any more.

Jayson Molumby 5/10 – Looked out of his depth.

Josh Cullen 4/10 – Very sloppy on the ball when Ireland looked to spring the counterattack.

Jason Knight 5/10 – Wasn’t in the game a massive amount and fed off scraps.

Adam Idah 4/10 – Couldnt hold the ball up and Kenny may feel like Will Keane would have been a better option from the start.

Chiedozie Ogbene 5/10 – The Luton man looked bright without ever really doing anything.

Substitutes

James McClean 6/10 – As tenacious as ever but never really got into the game.

Dara O’Shea 5/10 – Was fairly anonymous.

Will Keane 6/10 – Held the ball up well.

Aaron Connolly N/A

Festy Ebosele N/A

France vs Republic of Ireland Match Summary and Highlights

Going into the game, the Republic of Ireland knew they had all to do travelling to France to take on a team who were a penalty shootout away from becoming back-to-back world champions less than 12 months ago. Didier Deschamps’ men have been in fine form since that final loss too and had recorded four wins out of four in Group B in European Championship qualifying.

At a packed house in Paris, the superstars of France were a class or two above their Irish opponents throughout the 90 minutes and eventually ran out as 2-0 winners. It didn’t take them too long to get the lead in the game, either, which only made life more difficult for Stephen Kenny’s Ireland. A wicked, long-range effort from Aurelien Tchouameni flew past Bazunu in the Ireland goal in the 17th minute and Les Blues were on their way.

The rest of the first half saw France camped out in the Irish half but with the score just 1-0 at the break, Ireland will have felt like they were still in the game. Unfortunately for them, all hope was extinguished just three minutes after the restart when substitute, Marcus Thuram doubled the French lead with a neat finish with his back to goal.

The victory leaves France on 15 points from five games in Group B while Ireland now face a huge game with the Netherlands on Sunday after the Dutch ran out 3-0 winners over Greece.

Player of the match: Aurelien Tchouameni

Aurelien Tchouameni may be finding it difficult to get into the Real Madrid starting eleven, particularly after the signing of Jude Bellingham, however, the 23-year-old showed his class in Paris. He controlled the tempo of the game with his passing while he was aggressive in the press to retrieve the ball every time Ireland got on the ball. He topped his performance off with a screamer that will live long in the memory.

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