Rayan Cherki seizes chance against Côte d’Ivoire, thrills La Beaujoire crowd | OneFootball

Rayan Cherki scored and tried something with almost every touch against Côte d’Ivoire, enlivening a usually flat warm-up. The Manchester City attacking midfielder is scheduled to come off the bench at the World Cup in the United States, and he showed exactly why.

Many stood to applaud as he went off, and he lingered to take in the chants. L'Équipe notes that such games rarely captivate, yet Cherki did plenty to energise La Beaujoire. At times he treated it like a playground, entertainment not always matching precision.

He sometimes held the ball too long or played off the beat, favouring flourishes over efficiency. Even so, his relaxed artistry was compelling as he chased the extraordinary.

Staying on longer than most, he registered 84 touches and two efforts on target, largely operating through the middle after occasional switches with Michael Olise. He delayed a shot on 31 minutes, hit the side-netting a minute later, then juggled in the area before crossing for Aurélien Tchouaméni’s header on 40 minutes. The best came on 45 minutes, a dribble past Seko Fofana followed by a low angled finish for 1-0.

The second half was quieter as his flashes lacked collective backing, though he released Maghnes Akliouche before making way. He later played down the display as a routine tune-up and said France would not travel as favourites, adding that they intend to steamroller everyone.

This outing is unlikely to change his planned role, but it should keep him foremost in Didier Deschamps’ mind when he looks to his bench. At 22, he approaches his first major tournament seemingly free of doubt, and has been hard to ignore at Clairefontaine, from an odd photo pose with the president to his jokes and dribbles.

Source: L'Équipe