Maël Chrétien reported yesterday at 22:56 and updated at 23:21 Maghnes Akliouche with the French U23 team against the United States on Monday in Sochaux.
Thierry Henry’s men settled for a draw on Monday against the United States (2-2) in their second friendly match before the Olympics. They were leading by two goals.
The French U23 team, despite a two-goal lead, drew with the United States on Friday in Sochaux (2-1). This result is concerning as they will face the same opponent in their group at the Olympic Games. The French goals were scored by Arnaud Kalimuendo (27th) and Andy Diouf (79th).
Thierry Henry made eight changes to his starting eleven for the second match of this final gathering before the Olympics, compared to the team that won narrowly against Ivory Coast last Friday (3-2).
After a shaky start with misses and a reflex save from Guillaume Restes, the French team settled into the game and found their rhythm. They took the lead with a penalty from Arnaud Kalimuendo and maintained it until halftime.
In the second half, the Americans had a couple of chances before Andy Diouf scored the second goal for France (79th). However, with a small bench, the French team eventually tired out and allowed the Americans to equalize with two late goals (86th and 89th).
Thierry Henry faces the challenge of finalizing his squad for the Olympic tournament, which falls outside of FIFA dates and does not require clubs to release players, while also trying to improve his team’s consistency before the first match against the United States on July 24th.
