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France national football team
International Friendlies
May 30, 2016 at 8pm UK
 
Cameroon national football team

3-2

Matuidi (20'), Giroud (41'), Payet (90')
FT(HT: 2-1)

France beat Cameroon in Nantes

Euro 2016 hosts France beat African nation Cameroon 3-2 in Monday night's international friendly in Nantes.

France continued their preparations for Euro 2016 with a 3-2 win over Cameroon in Monday's international friendly.

Maxim Choupo-Moting's 88th-minute leveller looked to be denying France victory on home soil, but Dimitri Payet found the top corner with a free kick to win it for Didier Deschamps's side in the final minute.

France players celebrate after scoring in their friendly match against Cameroon on May 30, 2016© Getty Images

France were without Anthony Martial through injury and Antoine Griezmann due to his Champions League final involvement, but a strong team still included the likes of Hugo Lloris, Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi and Kingsley Coman.

Payet was also included in a wide position and the West Ham United attacker's crossing proved a problem for Cameroon in the opening 10 minutes, but it was the visitors that had the game's first chance in the 13th minute.

Smart work from Karl Toko Ekambi brought the attacker a yard of space and only a finger-tip stop from Lloris prevented Cameroon from making the breakthrough in Nantes.

Five minutes later, Cameroon had another excellent chance after Jacques Zoua delivered a cross onto the head of Vincent Aboubakar, but the Porto striker could only fire his header over the crossbar.

It was France that made the breakthrough in the 20th minute of action, however, when Coman drove down the left before picking out a cross in to Matuidi, who expertly volleyed past Fabrice Ondoa in the Cameroon net.

Cameroon were level less than two minutes later though as Aboubakar tapped home from close range after Watford defender Allan Nyom had drilled a low cross into the box.

France came close to scoring a second 10 minutes before the break when Payet picked out the head of Pogba with a dangerous free kick, but the Juventus midfielder's effort just missed the far post.

Deschamps's side did regain the lead late in the first period, however, when Pogba held off the challenge of Eyong Enoh before delivering a cross in to Giroud, who placed his effort into the bottom corner.

Both teams had chances in the 56th minute of action, but Cameroon's Aboubakar fired over the crossbar from close range, before Giroud failed to beat Ondoa after going through one on one with the stopper.

Just past the hour, France had two more opportunities to score a third, but Pogba's curling effort was beaten away by Ondoa, before N'Golo Kante struck a low effort wide of the post.

Chances were few and far between in the period that followed, with both managers making changes in a bid to hand fringe players an opportunity to impress.

Anatole Abang might have made it 2-2 in the 80th minute when the substitute rose highest inside the France box, but his header was always moving wide of Lloris's post.

Andre-Pierre Gignac found space inside the Cameroon box five minutes from time before pulling the trigger, but the striker missed the crossbar as the second period remained goalless entering its final moments.

Yohan Cabaye missed a glorious chance to score a third for France in the 87th minute, however, and the home side were made to pay moments later when Maxim Choupo-Moting levelled the scores from close range after a mix-up in the French defence.

There was to be one final piece of drama though as Payet sent a stunning free kick into the top corner in the 90th minute to ensure that France would triumph on home soil.

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