France coach Didier Deschamps had some words of praise for Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram following the win over the Republic of Ireland.
Les Bleus beat the Boys in Green with two unanswered goals at Le Parc des Princes to maintain a perfect record in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. They have now won all of their five fixtures.
Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni broke the deadlock in the first half with a splendid curler from the outside of the box.
In the 26th minute, new Nerazzurri star Thuram entered the pitch as a replacement for the injured Olivier Giroud.
The 25-year-old finally broke his duck for the national team, doubling France’s lead in the 48th minute.
The former Borussia Monchengladbach star pounced on a loose ball inside the box to send a powerful shot past the hapless Irish goalkeeper.
After the match, Deschamps praised Thuram who offers him additional options. He also revealed that the Inter striker was rueing his missed chances.
“It’s normal for our attackers to be the ones who grab the goals,” said the French coach in his post-match press conference via FcInterNews.
“Marcus came in and scored rather swiftly. He was also angry with himself because he could have grabbed a few more.
“This doesn’t worry me. Against Ireland we had three different scorers between the first and second legs.
“It’s good that Marcus managed to open his account. Let’s say that I did a good job as a winning coach,” jokes Deschamps. “Marcus also gives me additional options in the squad.”
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