SportsCatch
EN

Ivory Coast stun France 2-1 as Spain held by Iraq in World Cup warm-ups

Guéla Doué scored and assisted the winner as Ivory Coast beat France 2-1 in Nantes on Thursday, while Spain — missing Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams — were held 1-1 at home by Iraq in La Coruña.

2 min read
Ivory Coast stun France 2-1 as Spain held by Iraq in World Cup warm-ups
Share

Ivory Coast defeated France 2-1 at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes on Thursday, with Guéla Doué at the heart of the upset — scoring the equaliser and setting up Amad Diallo’s winner against a side that included his brother, Désiré Doué, in the squad. Spain, meanwhile, were held to a 1-1 draw by Iraq in La Coruña in a separate World Cup warm-up fixture the same day.

Rayan Cherki gave France the lead in first-half stoppage time, cutting past two defenders before beating goalkeeper Yahia Fofana with a low shot. Fofana had been kept busy throughout, denying Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise and Cherki earlier in the half. Guéla Doué levelled eight minutes into the second period, converting a through ball from Nicolas Pépé, before crossing low from the right for Diallo to fire home six minutes from time.

France coach Didier Deschamps, who is stepping down after this World Cup, kept all six players involved in the Champions League final — including Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Désiré Doué, Lucas Hernandez and William Saliba — on the bench at kick-off, though Hernandez, Zaïre-Emery and Barcola came on as second-half substitutes. Many supporters in Nantes held up posters of Deschamps in tribute to a tenure that began in 2012 and delivered the 2018 World Cup and a 2022 final appearance. The match also carried personal significance for Ivory Coast manager Emerse Faé, who was born in Nantes.

France face Northern Ireland in Lille on Monday before opening their World Cup campaign against Senegal on June 16 in New Jersey. Ivory Coast begin against Ecuador in Philadelphia on June 14.

In La Coruña, Spain took the lead through Ferran Torres in the 16th minute but were pegged back before the half-hour when Merchas Doski’s left-footed strike from outside the box beat Joan Garcia. Coach Luis de la Fuente had rested David Raya, Martin Zubimendi and Fabián Ruiz following the Champions League final, while recently injured Mikel Merino came on as a substitute. De la Fuente said he expects Yamal to be available for Spain’s World Cup opener against Cape Verde in Atlanta on June 15.

Spain play Peru in Mexico on Monday as their final warm-up. Iraq open their World Cup campaign against Norway in Massachusetts on June 16.

Share