Published on : 03/06/2022 – 23:11
For its debut in the 2022-2023 Nations League, Friday, against Denmark, France lost (2-1). After a magnificent goal from Karim Benzema, the visitors responded with a brace from Andreas Cornelius.
Victorious in the first League of Nations last fall, France entered the new edition of the competition badly. Opposed to Denmark at the opening, Friday June 3, at the Stade de France, the tricolor selection conceded a 2-1 defeat in group 1.
After a first act without much relief, at the end of which Kylian Mbappé was injured, the Blues took the lead thanks to the magnificent 37th international goal from Karim Benzema. Fresh off a new Champions League title with Real Madrid and favorite for the next Ballon d’Or, the striker played the Danish defense before opening the scoring (51st).
But the enthusiasm of the approximately 75,800 spectators – an influx that we had not seen in France for two and a half years due to the Covid-19 pandemic – was showered by the Danish super-substitute Andreas Cornelius. The former Girondins de Bordeaux player equalized ten minutes after entering the game (68th). And a few moments from the final whistle, the striker took the depth and easily dominated William Saliba before firing a powerful shot under the crossbar of Hugo Lloris (88th).
The series of seven consecutive victories for the Blues stops. Without coach Didier Deschamps, absent because with his family after the death of his father in the week and replaced by his assistant Guy Stéphan, the Blues have conceded their fourth defeat since their coronation in the 2018 World Cup. A reaction is expected on the 6 June at the Poljud stadium in Split, against Croatia, the next opponent in this group 1 of the League of Nations. The Croatian selection also lost on the first day on Friday, also at home, against Austria (3-0).