France beat Uzbekistan 3-1 in their warm-up friendly fixture ahead of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024. Kevin Ramirez, Abdessamad Mohammed, and Souheil Mouhoudine scored goals for France. It was 100th international cap for Ramirez.
France had a head start to their debut World Cup preparations as they defeated the World Cup hosts 3-1 in a friendly futsal match in Clairefontaine. Kevin Ramirez made his 100th international memorable by scoring on the special day. France have now extended their unbeaten run to 14 games in a row, including an upset victory over Brazil.
Les Bleus’ 11 days training paid off, as they had a lightning start to their first warm-up friendly for the Futsal World Cup. Abdessamad Mohammed gave France the lead by scoring after a skilful run from Ouassini Guirio. The 33-year-old now tops the scoring charts for France with 75 goals in 102 outings.
It didn’t take long for Uzbekistan to equalize courtesy of Abror Akhmezyanov. As soon as they brought themselves back into the game, they started attacking the opposition and tested their defense big time. However, France showed strength and resolve as they defended fearlessly and even managed to regain advantage just before the interval, as Souheil Mouhoudine scored on a free-kick.
After taking the lead again, it was all France in the second half of the game. As they pressed to further strengthen their lead, three of their shots came off the woodwork. Eventually, it was Ramirez who scrambled through the Uzbek defense and made it 3-1 to gain a decisive lead in the game for France.
The French coach was very enthusiastic about their victory and talked highly of his players. “The result was very interesting because, athletically, we are in a pivotal period of our preparations,” Reynaud said post match in an interview. “I’m satisfied with the energy the players put in by drawing on their resources.
France are now set to face Spain on August 26 and will be up against Costa Rica in another friendly fixture on August 27.
They will be playing the hosts Uzbekistan, IR Iran, Guatemala, and Venezuela in the group stage at their debut Futsal World Cup in September.