France 4:1 Israel (October 10, 2024) Match analysis

Christopher Nkunku marked his return to the French team with a goal in a 4-1 win over Israel in the Nations League as Les Bleus moved closer to A2 Group leaders Italy on Thursday.

Nkunku's first goal for France, almost ten months after his last international match, helped France to six points from three games, one behind Italy, who were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Belgium.

The Chelsea striker struck midway through the first half after Omri Gandelman canceled out Eduardo Camavinga's early opener, before Matteo Guendouzi and Bradley Barcola secured victory in the closing stages.

France were without regular captain Kylian Mbappe on Monday, who missed the double game against Israel and Belgium while he was available to play at Real Madrid.

“It's always good to win. The atmosphere in the team is not exactly pleasant,” said coach Didier Deschamps, pointing to the criticism Mbappe faced over his missed games and poor performance against Italy last month.

“It's not perfect, we're in a transition phase, but there are some good things, with players who have qualities and who need to be confirmed now,” the coach added four days before Les Bleus' trip to Brussels.

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It was the first France game since striker Antoine Griezmann announced his retirement from international football last week.

Michael Olise started and was expected to fill the gap, but the 22-year-old showed his inexperience despite some good plays and obvious technical qualities.

Camavinga opened the scoring after seven minutes with a fake low shot, capitalizing on a handling error from Omri Glazer, allowing France to reap the rewards of a good start.

However, Gandelman headed into the goal after a long pass from Oscar Gloukh and equalized in the 24th minute.

It took four minutes for Les Bleus to regain the lead when Nkunku hit the net with a low shot after darting past two defenders.

Guendouzi secured the win with a low shot from just outside the penalty area and Barcola added another goal in the penultimate minute with a beautiful curling shot.

Israel has played its home games in Hungary for security reasons given the country's war in Gaza.