Ivory Coast Stun France 2-1 in Sobering World Cup Warning for Les Bleus

France looked comfortable for long stretches and broke the deadlock just before half-time through **Rayan Cherki**, who showed superb close control on the edge of the box, dribbled past two defenders and curled a sweet right-footed strike into the bottom corner. At the interval, Didier Deschamps' side appeared in control against an Ivorian team building towards their own summer.

The second half told a different story. Less than ten minutes after the restart, a through ball released **Guela Doué** in behind, and he finished coolly one-on-one against the French goalkeeper. With six minutes remaining, Doué turned provider, whipping in a cross that **Amad Diallo** met with a first-time finish to complete the comeback. Doué notably haunted his brother's national team, scoring and assisting in the same match.

This was no smash-and-grab. Côte d'Ivoire outperformed France on expected goals, registering 1.31 to the hosts' 0.88, and looked the more dangerous side once the game opened up. For a French team carrying genuine title ambitions, the manner of the collapse will trouble Deschamps more than the result itself.

Warm-up defeats rarely derail tournament campaigns, but they expose vulnerabilities. France's inability to manage a second-half lead against well-organised opposition is exactly the kind of flaw that gets punished in the knockout rounds — a timely reminder a week out from the World Cup.