France player ratings vs Ivory Coast: Rayan Cherki shines but World Cup favourites undone by shoddy defending

Rayan Cherki scored a memorable goal, but a much-changed France side couldn't hold onto the lead as they dropped their first World Cup warmup game to the Ivory Coast, 2-1. Manager Didier Deschamps made plenty of changes, yet still named a strong side. Despite some bright moments, Les Bleus weren't able to piece together a complete performance - and were made to pay.

France were the aggressors early on, and looked the more likely of the two sides to score. Kylian Mbappe came close on a couple of occasions, forcing impressive saves out of Ivorian goalkeeper Yahia Fofana. Adrien Rabiot followed his captain's attempts by lashing narrowly over after 15 minutes. The visitors threatened on the break, though, not least through the lively Yan Diomande, who teased Jules Kounde for large parts of the evening.

But France took the lead. Cherki provided it, creating half a yard of space and firing past a helpless Fofana. The home side really should have kicked on from there. But they let Ivory Coast back into it. Strasbourg full-back Guela Doue bagged the equaliser after 53 minutes.

Deschamps spent the majority of the second half bringing new faces in. He made five changes at the break and kept rotating from there. France's bench looks scary on paper, but the impact was minimal. Ivory Coast's, meanwhile, was deadly. Diallo entered the fray at half time, and proved to be the difference maker on the day. He finished a wonderful, flowing move with a tidy slot into the bottom corner. And they held on from there.

How much this game ultimately means is up for debate. France were not at full strength, and there is only so much to read into a pre-World Cup outing. Still, this was far from compelling, and hardly the kind of performance Deschamps will have wanted before Les Bleus begin their campaign.

GOAL rates France's players from Stade de la Beaujoire...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
Mike Maignan (6/10):
Couldn't do anything about either goal. Made a tidy save or two.
Jules Kounde (6/10):
Engaged in an enthralling battle with Diomande. Held his own.
Ibrahima Konate (6/10):
Done by a through ball before the visitors' first. Otherwise a solid showing. Covered for Kounde effectively, and completed all but one of his passes.
Dayot Upamecano (7/10):
Rarely troubled, as the visitors seldom attacked down the left. Kept it tidy in possession.
Theo Hernandez (6/10):
Didn't have loads to do, in truth. Supported the attack when needed.

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Midfield
Adrien Rabiot (7/10):
A solid hour or so. Rarely lost the ball, completed most of his passes, and was up for the scrap.
Aurelien Tchouameni (8/10):
Completed 100 percent of his passes, kept the ball moving, and didn't allow anything through the middle. An excellent 45 minutes of work.
Rayan Cherki (8/10):
His usual mercurial self. Had more touches than anyone else when he was on the pitch. Scored a goal to remember.
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Attack
Michael Olise (8/10):
Created three chances, found some lovely pockets of space, and linked with Mbappe well.
Kylian Mbappe (7/10):
Lively when on the pitch. Came close on a few occasions. Looks sharp ahead of the World Cup.
Marcus Thuram (6/10):
Not the best audition. Took more shots than anyone else, but could have done with being far cleaner.

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Subs & Manager
Lucas Digne (4/10):
Rinsed over and over on the left. A real nightmare.
Maxene Lacroix (4/10):
Gave the ball away in the lead-up to Ivory Coast's winner.
N'Golo Kante (5/10):
Some moments of pure class, but the game passed him by as the visitors hit on the break.
Jean-Phillipe Mateta (6/10):
A target man when France didn't need one. Felt a bit misused.
Maghnes Akliouche (7/10):
Some nice touches. A solid half of work.
Lucas Hernandez (4/10):
Failed to pick up Amad on the winner.
Malo Gusto (6/10):
Not much of a threat down his wing in a solid 30 minutes.
Kouadio Kone (6/10):
Got stuck in, created a chance, looked like an active presence.
Warren Zaire-Emery (7/10):
A good shift. Made a case for a starting spot.
Bradley Barcola (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Didier Deschamps (4/10):
Far from the result he would have wanted. France made plenty of changes, but it still should have enough in these games. A really poor World Cup warm-up.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

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Subs & Manager