Koundé silences critics with solid display against Sweden

Jules Koundé silenced his detractors on Tuesday evening with a solid defensive performance in France’s 3-0 victory over Sweden in 2026 World Cup qualifying. The Blues secured a fourth consecutive win and booked their place in the round of 16.

Widely criticized in recent weeks, the FC Barcelona right-back received praise from Bixente Lizarazu. The former French international, consultant for L’Équipe, first commended the collective balance that had returned: “We were waiting to see this issue of potential imbalance in the French team, because it is drawn forward by the attack and can therefore find itself unbalanced in the defensive phase. And we didn’t see that at all, really not at all.”

Lizarazu then highlighted the decisive role of the full-backs in this regained solidity. “I found the team was always compact, it wasn’t split in two and I think that’s also linked to the very good defensive work of the full-backs, whether it’s Koundé on the right or Digne on the left.” On persistent doubts surrounding the Barcelona player, the former Bayern Munich defender was clear: “There were questions about the full-backs, about their level of performance. For me, on this match, there are no questions to ask, they were very good.”

However, Lizarazu tempered the enthusiasm by calling on the Blues to remain vigilant for the rest of the tournament. “The level will rise, the opponents will be better, and defensively, we will obviously need to be on the same wavelength. I think the match against Sweden gave us certain defensive guarantees, or at least showed us that we could maintain a certain balance while having four attackers.”

France will face Paraguay on July 4 for their next qualifying match.