France coach Didier Deschamps did not hide his dissatisfaction after his team's defeat to Ivory Coast, a result that took everyone by surprise. Although France started the game with a goal from Rayan Cherki, the second half brought two opposing goals that culminated in an unexpected defeat.
Deschamps commented: "It was more difficult in the second half", referring to the two goals conceded, and highlighted the importance of learning from this experience. "On June 16th, in our first World Cup game against Senegal, we have to show a different attitude. This was a friendly match with a lot of substitutions, which doesn't help the team's performance. We need to go through this process to improve our form and condition. We have to be realistic. If we needed a warning, we got it. This was a match from which we will learn a lot."
Real Madrid player Aurélien Tchouaméni downplayed the importance of the defeat, saying: "You can't draw conclusions from this match. Even if we had put in a great performance, it would have no bearing on what's to come. We're in the middle of our preparations. It's a shame to lose, and there are things to improve, but we remain confident that we'll be ready when the World Cup starts. It's not all bad. I would say the same if we had won."
Paris Saint-Germain defender Lucas Hernández shared a similar opinion: "There is no reason to worry. We have a second game to learn and find our form again." Malo Gusto also commented: "It's just a preparation game. There are also positive points to be taken from this match."
France will play one final farewell game against Northern Ireland before heading to the World Cup, where they will face Senegal, Iraq and Norway in the group stage, which will take place in Canada, the United States and Mexico.