Team News: Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud will start for France against Peru in their World Cup Group C encounter on Thursday with coach Didier Deschamps dropping Ousmane Dembele.
France will seal their spot in the knockout rounds with victory thanks to the 1-1 stalemate between Australia and Denmark and defeat for Peru will end their Russian campaign.
The 31-year-old Giroud will be the focal point of the French attack, with starlet Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann playing off him.
The 21-year-old Barcelona man Dembele pays the price for making little impact in France's stuttering 2-1 victory over Australia in their opener.
Blaise Matuidi replaces Corentin Tolisso in midfield in Deschamps's other change.
Tottenham Hotspur and France captain Hugo Lloris will win his 100th cap for his country in Yekaterinburg, the most eastern city at the World Cup.
Lloris, along with the skippers of Denmark and Australia, backed Peru talisman Paolo Guerrero in calling for his drugs ban to be overturned for the World Cup.
Peru's all-time leading goalscorer and captain was surprisingly on the bench for Peru's opening game, coming on in the second half, but the South Americans went down 1-0 to Denmark.
The 34-year-old Guerrero will face Lloris from the start after Peru coach Ricardo Gareca chose him in his starting XI in place of Jefferson Farfan.
Peru are competing in their first World Cup since 1982.
France: Hugo Lloris, Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez, Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Blaise Matuidi, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe
Coach: Didier Deschamps (FRA)
Peru: Pedro Gallese, Luis Advincula, Christian Ramos, Alberto Rodriguez, Miguel Trauco, Pedro Aquino, Yoshimar Yotun, Andre Carrillo, Christian Cueva, Edison Flores, Paolo Guerrero
Coach: Ricardo Gareca (ARG)
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla Hassan (UAE)
With inputs from Agencies
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Updated Date: Jun 21, 2018 22:47 PM
Highlights
FT! France beat Peru to end the South Americans' World Cup
France have been uninspiring in victory. They have show neither clear purpose going forward, creativity or balance in the middle, nor security at the back. But they will take the win and go through to the knockouts. The tournament will miss these gutsy Peruvians and their legion. That wraps things up here in Ekaterinburg. Time now to see what lies in store for Lionel Messi and who France might end up playing in the stage. Goodnight from me.
50` France 1-0 Peru. Pedro Aquino hits the post!
Varane gives the ball away cheaply on the right. The ball is rolled on to the path of Aquino whose fiercely struck shot hits the top-right corner of the frame of the goal. Lloris was comprehensively beaten.
34` Kylian Mbappe scores!
Pogba steals the ball in the Peruvian third and slips it in to Giroud. The Chelsea man shoots but his shot loops over Gallese after taking a touch of Rodriguez. The ball falls kindly onto the path of Mbappe who pokes it into the empty net. He also becomes the youngest ever goalscorer for France at the World Cup!
Peru starting XI
Peru's talismanic captain Paulo Guerrero starts and the South American side's hopes will be pinned on him.
Peru: Gallese; Advincula, Rodriguez, Ramos, Trauco; Aquino, Yotún; Flores, Cueva, Carrillo; Guerrero.
Giroud starting for France today
Didier Deschamps has dropped Ousmane Dembele and Corentin Tolisso and has opted to start with Olivier Giroud and Blaise Matuidi. Hugo Lloris wins his 100th cap for France.
France: Lloris; Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Hernández; Pogba, Kanté; Matuidi, Griezmann, Mbappé; Giroud.
22:40 (IST)
That's it from us!
Head out to our live blog of Argentina's Group D clash against Croatia as Lionel Messi and co look to get their first win of the tournament.
22:36 (IST)
France top Group C
This is how Group C looks like after the end of the second round of matches. France go through to the Round of 16 but Denmark with four points and Australia with two points will be looking to finish second. The Danes will face France while the Socceroos take on Peru in the final round of matches.
22:34 (IST)
Stat alert!
Take a look at the stats from the match
22:32 (IST)
Deschamps notches his 50th win as France manager
22:28 (IST)
Hugo Lloris with a clean sheet on his 100th appearance
22:27 (IST)
FT! France beat Peru to end the South Americans' World Cup
France have been uninspiring in victory. They have show neither clear purpose going forward, creativity or balance in the middle, nor security at the back. But they will take the win and go through to the knockouts. The tournament will miss these gutsy Peruvians and their legion. That wraps things up here in Ekaterinburg. Time now to see what lies in store for Lionel Messi and who France might end up playing in the stage. Goodnight from me.
22:24 (IST)
90+3` France 1-0 Peru
Giroud holds off the challenge from Aquino and surges ahead. He shoots but his shot is deflected behind for a corner. That surely is the end of Peru's campaign at the World Cup.
22:22 (IST)
90+1` France 1-0 Peru
Fekir wins a free-kick near the corner flag. Dembele swings it in towards N'Zonzi but he's beaten to it by a Peruvian defender. The ball falls to Matuidi who volleys it at goal. The ball was always curling off goal.
22:19 (IST)
90` France 1-0 Peru
Four minutes added on after the end of the 90. Four minutes for Peru to try and stay in the tournament.
22:18 (IST)
88` France 1-0 Peru
Deschamps takes off Pogba and sends on Steven N'Zonzi for the final two minutes plus stoppage time.
22:17 (IST)
86` France 1-0 Peru
What an anti-climatic end to all the buildup. Guerrero looks to curl the free-kick into the bottom corner but Lloris gathers comfortably. At least he got the shot on target.
22:16 (IST)
YELLOW CARD !
85` France 1-0 Peru
Paul Pogba is booked after accidentally slapping Farfan while going up for a ball. Free-kick right down the middle for Peru. Guerrero to take it as the Peruvian fans hold their breath.
22:13 (IST)
81` France 1-0 Peru
Dembele has a chance to put the match beyond Peru's reach but his off-balance volley inside the six-yard box is way off target.
22:12 (IST)
80` France 1-0 Peru
VAR comes into action with the referee booking the wrong Peruvian player. A bemused Flores is shown the yellow card despite Aquino making the challenge. The VAR points out the error and the ref rectifies his mistake.
22:09 (IST)
79` France 1-0 Peru
Dembele replaces Mbappe, who I don't think touched the ball after the break, as Deschamps looks to establish some sort of stability and control. It has been all Peru this half. Just before the substitution they had the overload going one more time. Hernandez caught between the central attacker and his own man on the left. Real fight from Peru.
22:06 (IST)
74` France 1-0 Peru
First change of the night for France as Ousmane Dembele replaces the goalscorer Kylian Mbappe.
22:05 (IST)
73` France 1-0 Peru
Ngolo Kante had a bit of word there with his left back, Lucas Hernadez. Assume it was to do with Hernadez's positioning when Peru are on the ball. Needs to not get over-excited and concentrate on the defensive work. Peru have looked most dangerous when attacking through this near side. Advincula and Carrillo are combining well and providing some attacking outlets. And their fans are still singing. Not one French chant will be heard tonight.
22:05 (IST)
72` France 1-0 Peru
Peru nearly grab an equaliser from a quick counter. Carrillo beats the offside trap and ghosts into the box on the right. He pings in a delightful cross right across the face of goal but it is too deep for Farfan who stretches to get on the end of it but volleys it into the side-netting from a tight angle.
22:00 (IST)
67` France 1-0 Peru
Everyone except Gallese is inside the French half now as Peru continue their search for an equaliser backed by a partisan crowd. France are compact leaving Peru to attack from the wings but the likes of Varane and Umtiti have been able to easily deal with the crosses. Les Bleus have lost some of the intensity they showed in the opening 10 minutes of the half. They need another goal because Peru sure look like getting one.
21:52 (IST)
61` France 1-0 Peru
Peru with a sustained spell of possession around the French box. They put in two dangerous crosses from both wings but Kante and Pavard clear the ball away. The move ends with Carrillo shooting over the goal from 30 yards out.
21:50 (IST)
60` France 1-0 Peru
Pedro Aquino struck that with some feeling. France need to do better at closing down shots around the edge of the box. Stepping off a little too much, perhaps. Lloris will claim he had it covered, but he did not. Aquino, by the way, is the youngest player on the pitch for Peru. The South Americans are getting a little more of the ball now and doing enough to keep this interesting.
21:48 (IST)
57` France 1-0 Peru
Peru with a rare attack in the second half. Carrillo with a blatant dive as he tries to squeeze past Hernandez and Matuidi. The referee had a good view of that and Carrillo is lucky to get away without a booking.
21:46 (IST)
55` France 1-0 Peru
Pogba wins a corner which is taken by Griezmann. Giroud attacks the ball but Gallese does enough to come out and block his header. Peru clear the ball away.
21:43 (IST)
51` France 1-0 Peru
Nasty little knee-thigh collision has Samuel Umtiti on the ground, clearly in pain. Do not think he will need to go off for this, but it is really painful when you take one to the muscle like that. Umtiti should be good to go in a minute.
21:41 (IST)
50` France 1-0 Peru. Pedro Aquino hits the post!
Varane gives the ball away cheaply on the right. The ball is rolled on to the path of Aquino whose fiercely struck shot hits the top-right corner of the frame of the goal. Lloris was comprehensively beaten.
21:38 (IST)
46` France 1-0 Peru
Umtiti goes down clutching his right thigh after clashing with Farfan for a long ball. He looks to be in tremendous pain and the referee calls in the medics. He limps off to the byline.
21:34 (IST)
Second-half begins
Peru have 45 minutes to turn this around and stay in the tournament. France, meanwhile, will be looking to book their place in the Round of 16. Two changes for Peru. Alberto Rodriguez and Yoshimar Yotun are replaced by Jefferson Farfan and Anderson Santamaria.
21:27 (IST)
Halftime stats
Take a look at the stats from the first half
21:26 (IST)
Here's how France took the lead
21:23 (IST)
HT. France lead Peru 1-0 at halftime
France go into halftime with a well-deserved 1-0 lead and they could have had more. Unlike their last match against Australia, France are looking so much better going forward. The inclusion of Giroud has worked well with Griezmann and Mbappe playing off him. Indeed it was Giroud's deflected shot which was turned in by Mbappe. Peru started brightly but France established their dominance after a slow start. This is the France that pundits and fans had tipped to win the World Cup.
21:17 (IST)
Talent.
21:16 (IST)
45` France 1-0 Peru
Mbappe with a perfectly-timed run to get to the end of Griezmann's through ball. He finds the time to pull a cross back to Griezmann from the byline but Aquino clears the ball away. Two minutes added on.
21:15 (IST)
42` France 1-0 Peru
Lucas Hernandes, who was one of the few positives from France in the opening game, should have made it two for France after he was found in tonnes of space. But he took too much time to decide what to do and ended up hitting it right at Gallese. Regardless, it is a sight to see, these young Frenchmen on the break. Some devastating pace in transition on display here tonight.
21:12 (IST)
39` France 1-0 Peru
Kylian Mbappe, the youngest player to represent France in a major tournament, puts his side ahead with an easy tap in after Giroud's effort was deflected. I believe that also makes him the youngest scorer at this tournament so far? He should've had two, though. Didn't get enough on the back-heel volley first time round. The goal came just after Peru's captain Paulo Guerrero failed to convert the best chance of the game, hitting a right-footer straight at Lloris. Guerrero's up and down journey to the World Cup gripped the entire nation. Handed a 14-month ban for doping by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Guerrero was granted a stay of by Switzerland's Supreme Court. A story for half time, maybe.
21:07 (IST)
GOAL !
34` Kylian Mbappe scores!
Pogba steals the ball in the Peruvian third and slips it in to Giroud. The Chelsea man shoots but his shot loops over Gallese after taking a touch of Rodriguez. The ball falls kindly onto the path of Mbappe who pokes it into the empty net. He also becomes the youngest ever goalscorer for France at the World Cup!
21:05 (IST)
32` France 0-0 Peru
Oh what a brilliant move from France! Pogba with a clever little dink above the Peruvian defence. Mbappe times his run perfectly but with his back to goal, he tries to back-heel it into goal. Does not enough connection on the ball and Gallese collects.
21:03 (IST)
30` France 0-0 Peru
Lloris denies Guerrero! He gets the ball in the box from the left and with a very good first touch, takes the ball away from Umtiti before shooting from six yards out. Lloris does well to save with his feet.
21:00 (IST)
29` France 0-0 Peru
It is reasonably cold here in Yekaterinburg and very windy particularly up in the media seats. At least 10 degrees cooler than it was in Kazan for France's opener. That, and a plucky, hustling Peru midfield should keep Les Bleus from sleep-walking through this game like they did against Australia.
21:00 (IST)
27` France 0-0 Peru
Peru have targeted France's left going forward and it is a good tactic given Matuidi's lack of pace. The Frenchman has also been booked for trying to prevent a Peruvian counter early on.
20:57 (IST)
24` France 0-0 Peru
That looked worth an ask. Mbappe, who has been looked bright and sharp early on, showing some super feet and combining well with Giroud to get into a shooting position Went down and asked the question but the ref had none of it. No VAR just yet. Much as it would break the hearts of this really entertaining Peruvian crowd I am going with a strong win from France today. By a two-goal margin.
20:56 (IST)
YELLOW CARD !
22` France 0-0 Peru
Paulo Guerrero is booked by the referee for arguing with Umtiti after the French defender dropped to the floor as if he was shot. Guerrero didn't take kindly to his playacting and gave him a piece of his mind. For your enjoyment, here's Umtiti channelling his inner Sir Laurence Olivier.
20:51 (IST)
18` France 0-0 Peru
Pavard handles the ball on the left and the referee awards Peru a free-kick to Peru just on the right of the box. Yotun takes it but the referee blows for a foul by Alberto Rodriguez on Umtiti.
20:48 (IST)
YELLOW CARD !
17` Peru 0-0 France
Matuidi goes into the referee's book for a tactical foul as Peru looked to break on the counter.
20:48 (IST)
15` France 0-0 Peru
Fourth chance in as many minutes for France! A long ball is played to Giroud, who cushions his header onto the path of Griezmann. The Atletico forwards lets go off a grass-cutter of a shot but Gallese manages to close his legs in time.
20:46 (IST)
14` France 0-0 Peru
Yet another chance goes begging for Les Bleus! Griezmann swings in a corner from the left and Varane's flick just flies past the far post.
20:44 (IST)
12` France 0-0 Peru
Nearly a goal for France as Paul Pogba has a go at goal from almost 25m out. Keeper Gallese scampers to his right but the ball just bounces past the post.
20:43 (IST)
11` France 0-0 Peru
First attack from the French and it almost ends with a goal! Griezmann plays the ball to Giroud, who with the back to the goal looks to play it back. Ultimately, it takes a touch off Aquino and fall into the path of Griezmann who continued his run into the box. However, he shanks the ball well off target with his weaker right foot.
20:40 (IST)
9` France 0-0 Peru
Carrillo is looking promising early on. He manages to get past Lucas on the right and crosses. However, it is too high for Guerrero in the box.
20:39 (IST)
7` France 0-0 Peru
France are definitely the away side tonight. The 33,000 capacity Ekaterinburg Arena is about 80 percent in the red and white of Peru. Didier Deschamps has not surprised anyone by benching Dembele and Tolisso for Matuidi and Giroud. The underdogs will get a huge boost from this very vocal crowd.
20:38 (IST)
5` France 0-0 Peru
Peru are pressing high up the pitch. France have barely had a sniff of the ball so far in the Peruvian half. By the looks of it, Kante is going to have a busy night tonight.