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France are two for two in the European qualifiers after a slender victory over Ireland.
France were not as dominant as they would have hoped but they did enough to beat Ireland 1-0 despite a late scare.
After an exceptional display against the Netherlands, France travelled to Ireland to face the Boys in Green. They were not quite as fluid and ruthless as they were against the Dutch, but they got the job done for their second win in two games.
How it happened
The prevalent tone in the preview to this game is a one-sided thumping, in favour of France of course, on the evidence of how they dealt with the Netherlands in the first game of the group stages.
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However, that was not the case; in fact, far from it.
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Les Bleus laboured for the entirety of the first 45 minutes without any meaningful headway, they barked all half without ever sinking their teeth in. On the other hand, Ireland carried unrealised threats in transition, all of which added up to a goalless first-half.
The second-half was where the magic happened. Ireland started better, but France regained control and immediately punished their opposition for daring to attack when Benjamin Pavard finished off a sweeping team move to give France a 50th-minute lead.
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The game ebbed and flowed from then on; France had more of the ball, but not enough to call it a one-sided game.
They were made to earn their victory when the Irish turned up the heat late in the game with barrage after barrage of attacks, but France's new number one, Mike Maignan, ensured they were never breached.
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10:48 - 27.03.2023
BETTING TIPS Ireland shot on target against France and other team stats
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France finished the game winners and remain top of the group in points and goal difference.
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