France cruise past Azerbaijan after comeback in qualifiers | OneFootball

Already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, France wrapped up its participation in the European Qualifiers with a 3-1 victory over Azerbaijan this Sunday at the Baku Olympic Stadium. The French team fell behind early but managed an easy comeback, with goals from Mateta, Akliouche, and Mahammadaliyev (own goal).

Standings

With this result, France finishes the Qualifiers as the leader of Group D, with 16 points. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, already eliminated, remains at the bottom of the group with just one point.

(Photo: Franck Fife/AFP)

📋 Match Summary

🔵 AZERBAIJAN 1 x 3 FRANCE ⚪

🏆 Competition: European Qualifiers (6th round) 🏟️ Venue: Baku Olympic Stadium, in Baku (AZE) 📅 Date: November 16, 2025 (Sunday) ⏰ Time: 2:00 PM (Brasília time)

Goals:

How was the match?

France had a scare right at the start of the game. Just three minutes in, Dadashov received a pass from Dashdamirov inside the box and finished into the net.

The visitors, however, didn’t take long to respond. In the 17th minute, Malo Gusto crossed perfectly for Mateta, who headed it in to level the score. Malo Gusto even scored a second in the 23rd minute, but the goal was disallowed for a handball.

In the 29th minute, Akliouche put France ahead. Thuram made a beautiful pass to Malo Gusto, who set up the young midfielder to tap it in. At 40 minutes, Thuram scored a third, but the goal was once again ruled out for a handball. However, at 45 minutes, goalkeeper Mahammadaliyev scored an own goal, allowing Didier Deschamps’ team to extend their lead. With the result already secured, the French played the second half at a training pace.

Next matches

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.