France Shake Off 2-1 Loss to Ivory Coast Ahead of World Cup
France midfielders Aurelien Tchouameni and Lucas Hernandez have dismissed concerns after a surprise 2-1 friendly defeat to Ivory Coast in Nantes. Rayan Cherki opened the scoring in the first half, but Guela Doue and Amad Diallo overturned the result for the Elephants after the break. With France set to face Senegal in New York on June 16 to kick off their World Cup campaign, both players stressed that the match was part of their preparation phase. Tchouameni said there was nothing to conclude from one game, while Hernandez highlighted the number of substitutions and the focus on fine-tuning performance rather than the score. Head coach Didier Deschamps admitted the team lost control in the second half but saw the defeat as a useful reminder not to become complacent ahead of facing opponents with similar qualities at the tournament.
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