Khaberni - The French team, already guaranteed a place in the 2026 World Cup for football, achieved their fifth victory in the European qualifiers by overcoming their Azerbaijani hosts with reserves 3-1 on Sunday in the last round of the fourth group stages.
The twice world champions had already secured their qualification for the eighth consecutive time, and the seventeenth time in their history, to the World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico for its twenty-third edition, following their 4-0 win against Ukraine at the Parc des Princes on Thursday.
Didier Deschamps, the coach of the French national team, made 11 changes to the starting line-up, giving goalkeeper Luca Chevalier his first international participation since his call-up in October 2024.
This is the first time the French team has used two completely different starting line-ups in consecutive matches, since their clashes with South Africa in the 2010 World Cup and Norway in friendlies in June and August of the same year.
The hosts surprised their guests with an early goal scored by Renat Dadashov with a close-range shot following a cross from Rahman Dadashmirov just four minutes into the match. However, the French team scored three goals in the first half through Jean-Philippe Mateta in the 17th minute, followed by Magnus Akliosh scoring the second after half an hour of play, before Shakraldin Mohammedaliyev unintentionally added the third to his own team’s net in the last minute.
