Rayan Cherki dazzles as Marcus Thuram and Jean-Philippe Mateta headline French weekend XI | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, a clutch of French players lit up the weekend across Europe, yielding a 4-4-2 selection with two wide playmakers.

Maxence Prévot was decisive for Louvain in a 0-0 at Genk, saving six shots on target for a third clean sheet in four. In defence, Nordi Mukiele hit a deflected 61st-minute winner against Tottenham, Loïc Badé anchored Leverkusen’s 1-0 at Dortmund with a goal-line stop, Léo Pétrot impressed in Elche’s 1-0 over Valencia, and Adrien Truffert sparked Bournemouth’s opener at Arsenal.

Arthur Atta dominated as Udinese stunned AC Milan 3-0, forcing Davide Bartesaghi’s own goal on 27 minutes then drilling past Mike Maignan on 71. In Türkiye, N’Golo Kanté struck from 20 metres in Fenerbahçe’s 4-0 win over Kayserispor.

Thomas Lemar’s revival at Girona continued with a curled equaliser at Real Madrid in a 1-1 draw. Rayan Cherki unlocked Chelsea 3-0 for Manchester City, teeing up Nico O’Reilly on 51 minutes then threading a clever pass for Marc Guéhi on 57. He is up to 10 Premier League assists, the best by a debutant since Dimitri Payet in 2015-2016.

Jean-Philippe Mateta ended his drought with a late brace in Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win over Newcastle, turning in Tyrick Mitchell’s cross on 80 minutes then converting a 90+4 penalty. Any World Cup push still depends on rivals faltering, and Marcus Thuram’s first brace since September, on 45+2 and 49 minutes, inspired Inter’s 4-3 at Como and left them nine points clear of Napoli.

Source: L'Équipe