Didier Deschamps’ side took to the field here in Metz just 12 days before their Euro 2024 opener against Austria, taking on a Luxembourg team that had made impressive strides in recent months, and narrowly missed out on qualifying for what would have been their first major tournament.
Much of the pre-match talk focused on skipper Kylian Mbappe after revealing the worst-kept secret in football by confirming his move to Real Madrid, and the Los Blancos-bound forward teed up future LaLiga rival Antoine Griezmann for a shot that cannoned off the post in the opening exchanges.
Mbappe showed a glimpse of what the Bernabeu crowd will be hoping to see in the coming months, linking up brilliantly with Griezmann again before forcing Anthony Moris into a relatively straightforward save.
The two-time European champions were dominating proceedings, eventually making the breakthrough in the 43rd minute when Mbappé bamboozled Dirk Carlson with his footwork on the left flank and teed up Randal Kolo Muani to power home a header past Moris, giving Les Bleus a narrow lead at the break.
Mbappé was looking lively against the duchy nation and fired just over the bar after making a surging run towards goal just two minutes into the second half. Deschamps’ men continued to press forward in search of a second goal, as Moris was called into action to keep out Youssouf Fofana’s driven effort.
An inevitable second did come, and in some style too. Jonathan Clauss was teed up by Mbappé on the edge of the box, rifling in an unstoppable strike from the bounced in off the underside of the bar.
Griezmann looked to round off a positive night’s work with a goal, only to see a free-kick sail harmlessly over the bar in his final act of the game. Enes Mahmutović almost scored what would have been a memorable consolation for Luxembourg, but the defender's header from Daniel Sinani's corner rebounded off the bar.
Mbappe ultimately ended the night with a goal that his performance deserved, as senior debutant Bradley Barcola teed up his former Paris-Saint Germain teammate to slide home a clinical finish in the closing stages. In truth, France barely came out of second gear on the night, conserving their energy for the much stiffer tests that await in Germany.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kylian Mbappe (France)
