Moldova 1-4 France
France made an impressive start to their Euro 2020 campaign in Chisnau with a win over Moldova thanks to a 12 minute three goal blitz in the first half.
Didier Deschamp’s team was head and shoulders above their hosts for most of the game and with the match won at half time, they had a relatively easy second 45. Moldova head coach Alexandru Spiridon will be pleased how his team stuck at their task in the second half, but they had no answer to goals from Antoine Griezmann, Raphael Varane and Olivier Giroud in the first.
Kylian Mbappe added a late fourth and Moldova bagged a consolation which was enough for the home fans to celebrate.
Our pre-match SBOBET odds of 1.11 pointed to a big win for Les Bleus and it could have been bigger had the World Champions kept their foot on the gas, but it’s job done.
Highlights of the game
This game was a baptism of fire for Moldova and as expected they were under the cosh right from the off. France almost went ahead on eight minutes when Antoine Griezmann headed a back across goal but Alexei Koselev cleared brilliantly as Kingsley Coman set himself to score.
Antoine Griezmann has been the subject of transfer speculation for two seasons now, and he may have been unsettled by Atletico Madrid’s surprise exit from the Champions League. But the way he took the opening goal suggested he can cope with the distraction. Paul Pogba chipped a delightful ball over the Moldova defence, and Griezmann watched it over his shoulder to fire a brilliant volley into the roof of the net.
Griezmann was the supplier for the second, sending over a corner which Raphael Varane met at the near post to glance his header home. Two goals in three minutes and Les Bleus had the game in the bag before the half hour.
Two became three on 36 minutes and it was oh so easy, as Blaise Matuidi found space behind the Moldova defence to dink a cross over which Olivier Giroud poked into the net.
It had been exhibition stuff at times from the French as Moldova spent much of the half just watching helplessly.
The hosts’ pride may have been a little dented and they came out for the second half with more bite, and Artiom Rozgoniuc was lucky to escape a card when he went right through Kylian Mbappe with a reckless challenge. Deschamps wasn’t amused.
France were happy to knock the ball around with Moldova often chasing shadows but, just as in the first half, Les Blues couldn’t penetrate the home defence in the early stages of the second period. Pogba tested Alexei Koselev with a low drive which the keeper parried, and Moldova managed to get out of their own half for a while, before Mbappe tried his luck after a mazy run, but again Koselev saved. Then the keeper made an even better save when Pogba headed a Griezmann free kick towards the corner.
Mbappe made no mistake when he was put clean through on goal, firing low into the corner to make it four, but as the clock ran down Moldova had their big moment. Hugo Lloris couldn’t hold on to a header from Vitalie Damascan and Vladimir Ambros fired home the loose ball to send the home crowd wild.
This result wasn’t exactly big Euro 2020 news but the way Les Bleus dismantled their hosts in the first half will have alerted their rivals.
Key statistics
These two teams are 168 places apart in the FIFA Rankings and boy did it show tonight! In the first half France took the game away from their hosts with three goals in 12 minutes as they registered nine shots on goal to Moldova’s zero.
France had only won one of its last four away games but this turned out to be an easy chance to improve that ratio and Les Bleus have now won 13 of their last 18 in total.
Spiridon has only won one of his 12 games in charge of Moldova. He wouldn’t have expected too much from this match but he’ll hope his team can improve from here. Worryingly, his side has only scored in five of his 12 games in the hot seat.
What’s next?
Next up Les Bleus go back home to welcome Iceland, and their opponents will present a good challenge to France as one of the teams in Group H which is capable of living with the best. But the Euro 2020 betting odds have rightly installed France as a potential tournament winner and their showing tonight did nothing to question that.
For Moldova, it’s a trip to Turkey, and that won’t be much easier after their hosts started with a good win away to Albania.
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