France hammers South Africa; Netherlands snaps Germany's winning run

France extended its winning run to seven matches as two-goal Kylian Mbappe and record-chasing Olivier Giroud struck in a 5-0 victory against South Africa in a friendly on Tuesday.

Published : Mar 30, 2022 10:53 IST

Kylian Mbappe (right) celebrates with Antoine Griezmann (center) after scoring France's first goal during the international friendly against South Africa on Tuesday.
Kylian Mbappe (right) celebrates with Antoine Griezmann (center) after scoring France's first goal during the international friendly against South Africa on Tuesday.
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Kylian Mbappe (right) celebrates with Antoine Griezmann (center) after scoring France's first goal during the international friendly against South Africa on Tuesday.

France extended its winning run to seven matches as two-goal Kylian Mbappe and record-chasing Olivier Giroud struck in a 5-0 victory against South Africa in a friendly on Tuesday.

The world champion, which has not lost since it was knocked out of the European Championship in the last 16 by Switzerland on penalties last year, was never troubled by a team it had not faced since the 2010 World Cup.

That year France exited the finals after an infamous off-field meltdown in which the players went on strike but Didier Deschamps's side was very businesslike on Tuesday with Wissam Ben Yedder and Matteo Guendouzi adding late goals.

South Africa finished with 10 men after Khuliso Mudau was shown a straight red card for a fierce challenge on Lucas Digne with six minutes left at Lille's Pierre Mauroy stadium.

"It was a good performance and we could have scored more," said Deschamps, who handed first starts to Olympique de Marseille defender William Saliba and RC Lens wing back Jonathan Clauss.

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"It was important to give some players some experience, especially with the Nations League coming up in June."

Mbappe, who missed France's 2-1 victory against Ivory Coast with an ENT infection, was back in the starting lineup alongside Giroud while midfielder Ngolo Kante was also making his return after skipping last Friday's game for personal reasons.

France got off to a lively start, with Giroud's header being tipped over the bar by Ronwen Williams after five minutes.

Mbappe put Les Bleus ahead in the 23rd minute when he curled a fine shot into the top corner from the edge of the box after being set up by Antoine Griezmann.

Giroud doubled the tally 10 minutes later with a low cross-shot from inside the area following a nice combination between Mbappe and Griezmann.

It was Giroud's 48th goal for France on his 112th appearance, which left him three shy of Thierry Henry's all-time France scoring record as the AC Milan striker made the most of the absence of the injured Karim Benzema.

Mbappe will hope to eventually be hot on Giroud's heels after netting his 26th goal in 54 internationals with a penalty in the 76th minute after being brought down by Siyanda Xulu.

"(The goal scoring record) is a goal. I've always wanted to be the first. In the national and with my club," said Mbappe.

"What Titi (Henry) did, nobody did it but it can happen and sooner than one would think."

Ben Yedder added a fourth from point-blank range and Guendouzi rubbed salt in the visitors' wounds with a superb curled effort in added time.

Netherlands vs Germany

Netherlands came from a goal down to snatch a 1-1 draw against visitor Germany in its friendly international on Tuesday and snap its opponents' eight-game winning run.

Thomas Mueller put Germany ahead in the 45th minute before Steven Bergwijn struck midway through the second half to level and end Germany's winning streak under new coach Hansi Flick.

"For the spectators it was a top game with high intensity," Flick said. "I am satisfied overall. It was a high-tempo game. We had them under control for the first hour and we could have scored a second goal.

"Still I have to praise my team because we played good football. We were fresh, had courage and played with confidence against a top team."

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Both teams, which have qualified for the World Cup, had a handful of chances in a fast-paced first half, with Dutch striker Donyell Malen firing wide in the 35th after the Germans came close through Leroy Sane and Timo Werner.

Netherlands goalkeeper Mark Flekken was beaten on the stroke of halftime when Mueller latched onto a free ball in the box and thundered in his 43rd international goal.

Germany's David Raum should have done better three minutes after the restart when Sane found him with a pinpoint pass but the midfielder sent his shot from in the box far over the bar.

The visitors were pressing high and controlled the pace of the game but the hosts struck against the run of play in the 68th when Bergwijn slotted in from close range after Denzel Dumfries had headed the ball on following a quick move.

The Netherlands were unlucky not to be given a penalty three minutes later when Germany's Thilo Kehrer clearly felled Memphis Depay but the referee, having initially awarded a spot kick, changed his mind following a VAR review.

Germany came close again in the final minutes through Lukas Nmecha but the 23-year-old could not snatch a late winner despite a golden chance.

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