EURO friendly report card: France

Results
Friday: Netherlands 2-3 France (De Jong 47, Afellay 86; Griezmann 6, Giroud 13, Matuidi 88)
Mandanda; Evra (Digne 46), Koscielny, Varane, Jallet; Matuidi, Diarra (Kanté 46), Pogba (Sissoko 87); Payet, Giroud (Gignac 73), Griezmann (Martial 46)

A brilliant Antoine Griezmann free-kick and Olivier Giroud's volley following a Blaise Matuidi header put France 2-0 up inside 15 minutes, but a second-half recovery from a Netherlands side thinking of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying looked set to deny France at the Amsterdam ArenA. However, Matuidi had other ideas, turning the ball home after good work by Dimitri Payet and Anthony Martial.

Tuesday: France 4-2 Russia (Kanté 8, Gignac 38, Payet 64, Coman 76; Kokorin 56, Zhirkov 68)
Lloris; Evra (Mathieu 46, Digne 54), Sakho, Varane, Sagna; Diarra, Kanté, Pogba (Sissoko 69); Gignac (Giroud 79), Griezmann (Payet 62), Martial (Coman 46)

Making his first France start, on his 25th birthday, N'Golo Kanté got his maiden international goal from Griezmann's pass to set France on their way. Griezmann's set piece was met by an André-Pierre Gignac diving header for the second. Aleksandr Kokorin pulled one back but then France's other birthday boy, Dimitri Payet, celebrated turning 29 with a long-range free-kick. Yuri Zhirkov gave Russia fresh hope, before a delicate angled shot from substitute Kingsley Coman finished a spell of four goals in 21 minutes. 

Dimitri Payet has played himself into contention©AFP/Getty Images

What we learned
1) Not called up since March 2015 despite a great campaign with West Ham, Dimitri Payet hit the post against the Netherlands, scored against Russia, and is within sight of UEFA EURO 2016. "If he keeps playing at that level, the question is answered," Didier Deschamps said.

2) France are making light of Karim Benzema's absence; against the Netherlands, Arsenal's Olivier Giroud struck his fifth in five internationals while Griezmann took his tally to seven from 25 outings, also supplying two first-half assists against Russia.

3) Deschamps has the right kind of headache in midfield and attack, the likes of Payet, N'Golo Kanté, Lassana Diarra, Kingsley Coman and Anthony Martial all confirming their good form in these friendlies.

Questions remain
• Diarra, Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi look to be midfield certainties, but are the likes of Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko, Morgan Schneiderlin and Kanté out of the reckoning?

• Who will be France's central defensive pair? Raphaël Varane appears to have made one slot his own, yet will it be Laurent Koscielny or Mamadou Sakho that joins him.

• Steve Mandanda has been in ominously good form in goal for Marseille; has he played well enough to put Premier League high-flyer Hugo Lloris on the bench? 

Room for improvement
France had wobbly moments against the Netherlands and Russia yet on each occasion they won against top-class opposition, revealing plenty of squad options. The number of goals they scored is encouraging, the number they conceded – including three from dead-ball situations – less pleasing. "We still dont have everything done to perfection," Deschamps confessed.

EURO certainties (if fit)
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)

Defenders: Bacary Sagna (Manchester City), Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Christophe Jallet (Lyon), Patrice Evra (Juventus)

Midfielders: Lassana Diarra (Marseille), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Blaise Matuidi (Paris), Dimitri Payet (West Ham),

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann (Atlético), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Anthony Martial (Manchester United), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich)

Media view
Bixente Lizarazu, UEFA EURO 2000 winner and RTL France pundit
"For me, Griezmann is the boss in this team."