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France return to winning ways at Turkey's expense and lead the group

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Amirhan Toubaju turned into his own net in the 49th minute and Elie Junior Kroupi struck on 80 minutes for France, while Abdulkerim Bardakci grabbed Turkey's only goal in the 90th.

The win took France to 13 points at the top of the group. Turkey stayed rooted to the bottom without a single point.

France had gone down 3-1 to Italy in the previous round, while Turkey lost 2-1 to Belgium.

These two sides had already met in the opening round of the group stage this edition, France winning 1-0 in a match staged at Turkey's stadium.

 

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Les Bleus went into this one chasing nothing but victory, especially after that 3-1 reverse against Italy.

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Qualification for the quarter-finals was all but secured, yet France wanted top spot.

From the off, France seized control. Cherki threatened in the 13th minute, Rabiot a minute later, and Mbappe, fresh from injury, forced Turkey keeper Berke Ozer into a superb goal-line save in the 15th.

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 Spells of dominance followed, the French switching between counter-attacks and patient possession.

 Kylian Mbappe carried a constant threat whenever the chance came, exploiting the gaps in the Turkish defence, but the keeper denied his shot in the 34th minute. At the other end, Maignan brilliantly kept out the first Turkish attack, a Yuksek effort in the 35th.

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Ozer, meanwhile, was fully switched on, as his save from Olise in the 38th minute proved. A Mbappe goal was then ruled out for offside a minute later.

France made the difference in the second half

France controlled the tempo, looked dangerous and managed the game well. Even so, they had to respect the Turks, who could create chances in the opposition box of their own. The midfielders let the French defenders down at times when the moment came to defend.

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 Up top, Mbappe dispelled any doubts about his fitness. Yet the Real Madrid man, like Olise and Barcola, remained a touch wasteful in the final third.

 Guillaume Restes came on in goal after the break to replace the injured Mike Maignan. France soon struck. Cherki swung in a corner, Rabiot flicked it on at the near post and, under pressure from Barcola and Jacquet, Toubaju turned the ball into his own net.

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Guler, the Real Madrid player, saw a goal chalked off for offside and clearly pulled the strings for his side. Time and again, though, he came up against a France defence that wobbled on occasion but locked in whenever the former Fenerbahce man had the ball.

Zinedine Zidane reshuffled his pack too, introducing Camavinga and Elie Junior Kroupi, as Ozer kept out several clear openings.

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The Turkish keeper saved again, first from Mbappe in the 64th minute, then from Kroupi in the 67th.

 France laboured to extend their lead and lived under the threat of an equaliser throughout. The forwards failed to punish the gaps the Turkish defence kept leaving, Mbappe wasting one quick counter in the 76th minute.

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 Camavinga went for goal from distance, his effort flashing past the post in the 77th.

Elie Junior Kroupi then bagged his second goal in his second cap. Cherki slipped him in inside the box and the Bournemouth man fired past a flustered-looking Ozer to make it 2-0.

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 The scoring wasn't done. Bardakci pulled one back in the dying moments, heading home from a Guler corner.

France's defence switched off for that goal, and Zidane was not happy at all.

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France learn their quarter-final opponent in the UEFA Nations League when the draw takes place next Friday.

Senior Editor

An Egyptian journalist since 2006. I initially specialized in covering local football, but over the years my interest expanded to global football, particularly the top five European leagues, with a special focus on La Liga and the Premier League.

Throughout these years, I combined field reporting with analytical work, and I became deeply involved in international football starting in 2017, when I joined Kooora.

At Kooora, I worked as a news editor, match analyst, translator, voice-over commentator, and video report producer, in addition to writing reports and articles, developing coverage plans for major events and key matches, and participating in their execution.

My passion for football began in 1990, during Egypt’s celebrations of qualifying for the Italy World Cup after a 56-year absence. I vividly remember the Egypt vs Netherlands match and Magdy Abdelghani’s historic equalizer.

On the global level, I became attached to Real Madrid at the start of the new millennium, following the great stars who wore its shirt, especially Zinedine Zidane, and later my favorite player Cristiano Ronaldo.

There are many unforgettable moments, but I would highlight Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer to Real Madrid in 2009 as the most important, as my favorite player joined the club I support in Europe.

Currently, I specialize in desk editing, translating international news and reports, proposing coverage ideas, and writing SEO-optimized content.

My all-time favorite lineup includes Gianluigi Buffon in goal; Cafu, Franz Beckenbauer, Paolo Maldini, and Roberto Carlos in defense; Zinedine Zidane, Andrés Iniesta, Diego Maradona, and Pelé in midfield; and in attack Ronaldo Nazário, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Among the reports and analyses I published on Kooora:

– After Deco and Scaloni’s statements… Is Messi’s era over?

– A golden hour gives Real Madrid hope to overcome Barcelona

– Kooora Report: Unsung heroes who shaped the greatness of the Champions League

– Kooora Story: Real Madrid defeats “itself” and wins a historic title

You can follow me on my social media accounts via the following links:

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