France came out with a comprehensive 2-0 victory over Finland in the final match of the 2022 World Cup qualifying stages. Finland’s hopes of a place in the play-off stages of the World Cup qualification round were ended as Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe scored in the second half for France.
With this victory, France have finished top of Group D with 18 points, while Finland finished third with 11 points, closely losing out on the 2nd spot behind Ukraine, who picked up a victory to secure a playoff spot for themselves.
Finland vs France Player Ratings
Finland Player Ratings
Lukáš Hrádecký (5/10) – The Finnish striker had decent start to the game but failed to provide Finland the final result they much needed as France managed to put past two goals in the second half.
Jere Uronen (5.5/10) – Jere Uronen gave away possession too much as he played in the wing-back position but picked himself in the latter part of the first half to put up a brilliant display of defense.
Leo Väisänen (4/10) – Leo was not up to the mark in the game he failed to provide effective defensive support at the back. In the latter half of the game, he was not able to keep up with the pace of the French forwards and conceded two goals.
Robert Ivanov (6/10) – Ivanov a very stern defensive support at the backline as he was very clean on his interception but very little he could have done to stop the goals from Benzema and Mbappe.
Daniel O’Shaughnessy (5/10) – Daniel was also very effective at the backline as he was able to keep Griezmann in check throughout the game.
Niko Hämäläinen (5/10) – Niko was not able to keep up with the pace of the game as he sometimes failed to track back to defend but had a good output in helping the attacking play of Finland.
Glen Kamara (6/10) – Kamara played very well in the midfield as he controlled and created the counters for his teammates. He anchored the game from the centre but hardly saw the ball after the French team took the lead.
Rasmus Schüller (5.5/10) – Schüller also supported very well in the centre and was very quick to move in at the counters to support the forward line in the first half.
Urho Nissilä (5/10) – Urho had good passing accuracy and was able to control the ball in the middle which helped a lot for the Finland team in the first half. He was very quick at the start of the second half to create some attacks but failed to see any ball after Frenchmen took the lead.
Teemu Pukki (6.5/10) – Pukki definitely put up an excellent performance for the Finnish side as he was the key player up front who created a lot of pressure for the French defence as well as for the Goalkeeper as he took some shots.
Robin Lod (5/10) – Robin Lod Brilliantly supported Pukki in the forward line throughout the game and paired up brilliantly to create some quick counters but was not able to deliver the final result at the end of the game.
Substitutes
Robert Taylor- (6/10)- The midfielder came on to replace Jere Uronen in the 73rd minute of the match. He took on the corner duty after coming on but his deliveries were not up to the mark.
Marcus Forss- (5.5/10)- The striker could not provide much of an attacking threat after coming on in the 64th minute, as Finaldn desperately went all out in search of a goal.
Joel Pohjanpalo- NA
Onni Valakari- NA
France Player Ratings
Hugo Lloris- GK -(7/10)- The veteran goalkeeper was commanding in goal. He made 2 saves and was also good with his passing helping France build from defence.
Kurt Zouma- (7.5/10)- Zouma was the best defender on the pitch for France, looking every bit of the player he was with Chelsea. He overpowered Temmu Pukki, winning most of the aerial balls intended for him.
Dayot Upamecano- (7/10)- A solid performance from the Bayern Munich defender. His aerial presence and speed on the ground were brought out to the fore as he won 2 tackles and finished with a pass completion rate of 90.
Jules Koundé- (7/10)- The young centre back was very impressive during his stay on the pitch, hardly allowing any space for the Finland strikers down the right side of the defence. He was taken off after 50 minutes.
Aurelien Tchouameni- (7/10)- The 21-year old showed great composure and calm in midfield, dismantling most of Finland’s attacking moves in the defensive half.
Adrien Rabiot- (6.5/10)- A hard-working performance from Rabiot, as he proved to be the link between defence and attack for France. He won 2 aerial balls and ended up with a 93 per cent pass completion.
Antoine Griezmann- (7/10)- The French talisman was confined mostly to performing his defensive duties to perfection. However, he was also a real threat whenever he joined in attack.
Lucas Digne- (7/10)- The left-back looked more suited in his role in the second half both in attack and defence. He was also awarded the assist for the solo Mbappe goal.
Léo Dubois- (5/10)- The right-back did not have the most ideal night out on the pitch, and suffered an unfortunate hamstring injury right at the end of the first half.
Kylian Mbappé- (8/10)- Mbappe came to light in the second half and made the telling impact on the match, providing a brilliant backheel assist for Benzema, before scoring a superb solo goal himself minutes later.
Moussa Diaby- (6/10)- Diaby was decent on his first start for the national side. He held up the ball nicely during attacks and found and showed a good understanding with his strike partner Mbappe. He was brought off early in the second half.
Substitutes
Benjamin Pavard- (7/10)- He came on to replace the injured Dubois at the start of the second half.
Karim Benzema-(7.5/10)- Benzema was instrumental in France’s upliftment in the second half, and immediately lifted the team’s performance after coming on. He eventually scored the goal from Mbappe’s pass as his shot took a deflection into the net.
Kingsley Coman- (6.5/10)- He came on to replace Jules Kounde at the 55th minute, to provide an added attacking threat down the right flank.
Matteo Guendouzi- NA
Veretout- NA
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