Ivory Coast claimed an impressive 2-1 victory over France in a World Cup warmup match on Thursday, with Guéla Doué playing a starring role by scoring once and assisting the winner.
The decisive moment came in the 84th minute at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes when Doué delivered a low cross from the right flank that was swept home first-time by Amad Diallo.
Ivory Coast had threatened earlier through Simon Adingra, whose effort before halftime was denied by French goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
France took the lead in first-half stoppage time when French-Algerian midfielder Rayan Cherki burst past two defenders and finished calmly beyond goalkeeper Yahia Fofana. Fofana was kept busy throughout the match, producing key saves to deny Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise and Cherki on multiple occasions.
The visitors equalized eight minutes into the second half when Nicolas Pépé threaded a precise pass through the French defence. Doué, whose brother Désiré Doué represents France, raced through and finished confidently past Maignan.
Both sides created further opportunities, with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Seko Fofana unable to convert chances before Diallo sealed the win late on.
France head coach Didier Deschamps initially left all six players involved in the recent UEFA Champions League final on the bench, including Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Désiré Doué, Lucas Hernandez and William Saliba. Hernandez, Zaïre-Emery and Barcola were introduced during the second half.
Despite the defeat, French-Cameroonian midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni downplayed the significance of the result.
“It’s a pity to lose, but we’re in a preparation phase; we stay confident,” Tchouaméni said. “There is no conclusion to draw from this game, even if we had won it. We will be ready.”
France will play one final warmup match against Northern Ireland on Monday in Lille before departing for the United States. Les Bleus open their tournament campaign against Senegal on June 16 in New Jersey.
Ivory Coast begins its campaign against Ecuador on June 14 in Philadelphia.