Ekitike part of experimental France side that beats Colombia | OneFootball

It might not have been the headline-grabbing performance of some of his teammates, but there was still another positive step for us as Hugo Ekitike continued his involvement with France during the international break.

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The Liverpool forward featured in Les Bleus’ latest win, as Didier Deschamps’ side followed up victory over Brazil with a convincing 3-1 success against Colombia.

France report outlines Ekitike’s role

According to L’Equipe’s match report, France impressed once again, with the focus largely on their attacking combinations rather than individual contributions from the bench.

The report noted: “After Brazil, Les Bleus defeated Colombia thanks to the Doué-Thuram duo”, with Desire Doue and Marcus Thuram stealing the spotlight in the final friendly before the World Cup squad announcement.

Ekitike didn’t start the game, with the 23-year-old instead introduced later on as part of a heavily rotated side, which Deschamps used to assess his wider options ahead of a major summer.

While much of the attention centred on Doue’s brace and Thuram’s influence, the fact the Liverpool striker was again trusted with minutes in a competitive international environment is significant in itself.

What the numbers say about his performance

Looking at the Sofascore data from his cameo, the Frenchman produced a tidy and efficient display rather than a standout one, completing 8 of his 9 passes and registering a shot on target during his 27 minutes on the pitch.

He also contributed defensively with two successful tackles and several recoveries, showing the kind of all-round work rate that has become increasingly important in his role.

There was even a late attacking moment involving Kylian Mbappe, with the Real Madrid forward unable to convert after being picked out on the counter, which underlines how close Ekitike came to making a more decisive impact.

Our forward has been enjoying his international break with a goal against Brazil and some light mockery of Alexis Mac Allister online too.

With France now unbeaten in nine matches and building momentum ahead of the World Cup squad announcement, our No.22 remains firmly in the picture, even if this was a quieter outing compared to his earlier goal-scoring display.