BUDAPEST:
Christopher Nkunku marked his return to the French national team with a goal in a 4-1 win over Israel in the Nations League, as France closed the gap on Group A2 leaders Italy on Thursday.
Nkunku’s first-ever goal for France, coming nearly 10 months after his last appearance, contributed to France’s six points from three matches, leaving them just one point behind Italy, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium.
Chelsea forward Nkunku scored midway through the first half, shortly after Omri Gandelman had equalized following Eduardo Camavinga’s early opener. Matteo Guendouzi and Bradley Barcola sealed France’s victory with late goals.
France played without their regular captain Kylian Mbappe, who opted to miss the double-header against Israel and Belgium, despite being fit and playing for Real Madrid.
“It’s always good to win, but the atmosphere around the squad isn’t ideal,” said coach Didier Deschamps, alluding to the criticism Mbappe faced after missing these games and his subpar performance against Italy last month.
“We’re not perfect; we’re in a transition phase. However, there are positives with players showing their potential, though they still need to prove themselves,” Deschamps added, as Les Bleus prepare for their upcoming match against Belgium in Brussels.
This game also marked the first France fixture since Antoine Griezmann announced his retirement from international football last week. Michael Olise was brought in to fill the void left by Griezmann. Despite showing flashes of skill and technical ability, the 22-year-old’s inexperience was apparent.
Camavinga opened the scoring just seven minutes into the match with a low curling shot, capitalizing on a handling mistake by Israel’s goalkeeper Omri Glazer. Gandelman equalized in the 24th minute, heading in Oscar Gloukh’s long pass.
Four minutes later, France regained the lead as Nkunku weaved past two defenders to score with a low shot. Guendouzi added a third goal with a strike from outside the box, and Barcola wrapped up the victory with a well-placed curling shot in the final minutes.
Israel has been playing their home matches in Hungary due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
