In Izmit, on Turkey’s Black Sea coast, France began the Zinédine Zidane era with a narrow win and an immediate injury concern.
The Ligue 1 news
France opened their Nations League campaign on Friday by beating Turkey 1-0, giving Zidane a winning start as head coach of Les Bleus.
Kylian Mbappé settled the match nine minutes after half-time, scoring in the 54th minute. The forward injured his left knee as he struck the decisive goal, however, and was replaced shortly afterwards. He has since withdrawn from the remainder of the international camp.
Mike Maignan emerged as France’s standout performer in the post-match assessments. Supporters gave the goalkeeper an average mark of 6.7, close to the 7 awarded by the press ratings panel.
There was broad agreement over the displays of Jules Koundé, Dayot Upamecano, Adrien Truffert and Michael Olise. Zidane’s first match in charge was graded 5.8 by supporters, compared with a 6 from the match assessors.
Some of the wider evaluations were more divided. Maxence Lacroix received 5.3 from supporters against 6 from the press panel, while Adrien Rabiot was marked at 5.5 compared with 6. Manu Koné fared better with supporters, earning 5.8 against a panel rating of 5.
| France figure | Supporters’ rating | Press panel rating |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Maignan | 6.7 | 7 |
| Zinédine Zidane | 5.8 | 6 |
| Maxence Lacroix | 5.3 | 6 |
| Adrien Rabiot | 5.5 | 6 |
| Manu Koné | 5.8 | 5 |
| Ousmane Dembélé | 5 | 4 |
| Kylian Mbappé | 5.8 | 5 |
| Rayan Cherki | 4.9 | 6 |
In attack, Ousmane Dembélé was given a 5 by supporters, one point higher than the assessment panel. Mbappé’s 5.8 reflected the value of his winning goal, while the panel gave him 5.
The sharpest disagreement concerned Rayan Cherki. The Manchester City player was rated 6 by the press panel after what it considered an encouraging contribution, but supporters made him France’s lowest-rated player at 4.9.
