‘Solid’ and workmanlike’- Maignan and Rabiot perform roles as France beat Northern lreland

France closed out their World Cup preparations with a 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland in Lille, with Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot starting.

After losing the previous friendly against Ivory Coast, Didier Deschamps’s team got back to winning ways in their final test before departing for the United States, where the World Cup kicks off on Thursday.

Maignan and Rabiot were both starters and are now increasingly key players for Les Bleus. The goalkeeper is the heir to Hugo Lloris, while the midfielder has taken up a spot in the double pivot alongside Tchouaméni.

Rabiot played practically the entire match, only leaving the pitch in injury time to make way for Kanté. Given that there was such a talented front four ahead of him the work was mostly feeding those players, though he did get involved in attacks too.

He had one key pass, 75/80 completed passes (94%) and 5/5 accurate long balls. In terms of defensive work, the former PSG man had one tackle, one interception, five recoveries, 2/6 ground duels won, 1/1 aerial duel won and three fouls.

Maignan, on the other hand, had a relatively quiet evening. The Rossoneri goalkeeper was rarely called into action thanks to France’s territorial dominance for much of the match, though they did concede a goal he could do little about.