Full-time! France 3-0 Scotland
Griezmann heads a Sagna cross from the right over. And that’s your lot. Can the real games begin already? France looked excellent in the first half but the numerous subs ruined the game’s tempo. Will les bleus be celebrating a title in mid-July? On this evidence they are certainly capable of it. Scotland stumble into the summer with much to ponder and wounds to heal. That’s all from me. Rob Smyth will be along tomorrow for coverage of Sweden v Wales. Bye!
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There will be two minutes added on. France are playing keep ball, Scotland look like they want to get off on holiday … but first a Griezmann corner must be dealt with. It’s sent towards Pogba, who rises Ronaldo-like but the delivery is too high for him and the danger passes.
From our man in Scotland. While France have looked quite good, the visitors have been dreadful.
Gordon Strachan has to be careful. Skating on increasingly thin public perception ice.
— Ewan Murray (@mrewanmurray) June 4, 2016
Another France change: Sissoko enters for Kanté. Another round of fives for the Leicester midfielder, making only his fourth appearance for les bleus.
Evra’s work is done, replaced by Gigne with seven minutes left. There are high fives from everyone on the bench. So much for fractions in the French ranks! The home fans have taken to the wave and turning the torchlights on their phone on.
Ten minutes remain in Metz, where the game is petering out, too. Austria and Holland has, by the way, finished 2-0 to the team not going to France.
Full-time! Slovakia 0-0 Northern Ireland
And Michael O’Neill’s team head to France with a 12-match unbeaten run in their pocket – the longest of any of the 24 teams in the tournament. (Even if they have not won an away friendly in a decade!). Not to put a deliberate dampener on their form, the injuries to Lafferty and Cathcart are quite worrying with eight days to go before their Group C opener against Poland in Nice on Sunday week.
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On the stroke of 90 minutes, McLaughlin comes on for McNair, who did well here. There will be three minutes added on.
Weiss shoots from range, it takes a deflection off Baird but McGovern dives low to his right to save. This one is petering out here, and they key talking point will be those injuries to Cathcart and Lafferty – two important players for Northern Ireland.
Cabaye comes on for Matuidi in Metz – how deep is this France squad?! Pogba and Lloris aside, is there any player in the squad that cannot be replaced by a similarly well-equipped team-mate?
Actually, Northern Ireland have almost taken the lead! Washington upsets Skrtel at the front stick from a ball in on the right and it’s almost an own goal from the Liverpool defender, Kozacik parrying the Slovakia captain’s skewed clearance. C Evans is coming on for Norwood; the hosts make a change too as Nemec replaces Kuco.
Slovakia’s Hamsik goes close to heading in a cross from the right at the near post after losing his marker, but he cannot direct his attempt on target. There are 10 minutes to go – can Northern Ireland make it 12 games unbeaten?
In Metz, Gignac is on for Giroud. The Arsenal striker is given a big round of applause as he departs. Play restarts with Griezmann and Pogba eyeing up a menacing free-kick from 25 yards. The latter takes but it comes back of the left post and Marshall saves Gignac’s rebound.
Naismith has come on for Scotland in Metz, with little more than half an hour to play.
Croatia, by the way, had seven different scorers; Mandzukic scored a hat-trick. Austria’s warm-up is not going quite to plan, however, they are 2-0 down against Holland. Janssen and Wijnaldum have scored in either half for the oranje, who of course will not be going to France after that horrific qualification campaign.
Watch out Spain, Turkey and Czech Republic because Croatia have won 10-0. OK, it was only San Marino, but still.
Meanwhile in Metz, Marshall is trying his best to keep France from adding a fourth and more. And in Slovakia the wave has broken out, which tells you a lot about the quality of the game.
It’s raining in Metz and Pogba has been shoved off the ball by Hanley – the most obvious foul you will see all night.
Stoch and Duda are on for Slovakia, in place of Mak and Duris, with 25 minutes still to play there.
Peep! They have restarted in Metz. There have been a slew of substitution but we have not been shown a graphic of the exact changes. I can tell you that Griezmann is on.
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Oh no! This is not good for Northern Ireland. After losing Cathcart in the first half, Kyle Lafferty – who dreamt of scoring against Messi and Ronaldo in the Euros – has now gone down injured in the centre circle. He makes way for Washington.
McNair is booked for tackling Weiss, which is harsh considering some of the challenges that went unpunished in the first half.
Peep! We have restarted in Slovakia. Magennis is on for Ward.
Half-time! France 3-0 Scotland
Two for Giroud, one for Koscielny. All too easy for Deschamps’ team.
There will be one minute added, thankfully for Scotland.
France have allowed Scotland a moment to breath. But this undoubtedly is a performance that bodes well for the hosts’ tournament prospects.
Goal! France 3-0 Scotland (Koscielny)
It’s an Arsenal treble! Payet takes his umpteenth corner and Matuidi goes close with a free header. It’s deflected out for another and this one comes to Koscielny. He is given plenty of space to head home for his first international goal. Scotland are dismal but France are on fire. We still have six minutes to play before the interval.
Goal! France 2-0 Scotland (Giroud)
That’s Giroud again – seven in his last seven games (all friendlies) so just you wait for him to go missing when the competitive games come next week. This is a poor one for Scotland to concede, too. Payet’s shot is parried by Marshall and the Arsenal striker is on hand to tap in from close range with no pink shirt around him.
Half-time! Slovakia 0-0 Northern Ireland
From the free-kick Baird takes it low. It’s spilled by the goalkeeper Kozacik and he is blessed his howler does not result in a goal as Davis runs towards the loose ball but is flagged for offside.
And in that minute Skrtel clatters Ward. That’s an awful tackle, late on the attacker’s right achilles. That’s a booking.
There will be one minute added on in Slovakia.
France continue to dominate in Metz. Another Payet corner, from the right, almost gets to Evra but Russell Martin nips in front of the left-back to head away.
McGovern has single-handedly kept Slovakia at bay. Mak beats the offside trap after Duris’ pass but the keeper is quick off his line, gets big and closes down the attacker to block his shot.
It was not so long ago that Payet was nowhere near being considered as part of France’s squad. Deschamps pretty much ruled him out of contention around Christmas. So far here he has been France’s best player. Scotland have just got out of their half, by the way, winning a free kick on the right. Ritchie delivers but it is cleared away.
In Slovakia, Norwood delivers from a similar area and Slovakia give away a corner. Ferguson runs over to take it but the hosts eventually clear – if a tad scrappily.
Marshall, Scotland’s busiest player, has to save a Coman dart from 25 yards. The visitors have barely emerged from their own half in the opening 18 minutes.
France are playing some delightful football. Payet flicks to the overlapping Evra on the left, but the former Manchester United player’s cross has a little too much juice on it.
An injury worry for Northern Ireland as the defender Craig Cathcart is limping away from the action. Aaron Hughes is on for him – winning his 100th cap for NI, the first outfield player to achieve a century, but not in the circumstances he would have wanted.
In Slovakia, Lafferty has chested down a long ball on the edge of the box but cannot execute his half-volley cleanly – shooting high and wide. Approaching the half hour mark, it remains scoreless.
The commentator covering France-Scotland has just listed out some of the players not in the hosts’ squad – such talent, such depth. If there was no off-field controversy, they would be huge favourites rather than slight to win the tournament, wouldn’t they?
Goal! France 1-0 Scotland (Giroud)
This could get ugly for the Scots … Sagna, fed by Coman, sends in a good low cross from the right. Giroud impudently flicks past Marshall from close range. That’s six in seven in the bleus shirt from him. Giroud has been booed at times by sections of the France support in recent matches but can he be the man to replace Benzema?
Every time Scotland play a successful pass, there is a loud cheer of “olé” from the travelling fans … but they are almost behind just now as a Payet free-kick comes off Greer’s back. It looks to be heading in but Marshall reacts well to dive to his right and save.
Two minutes in, France have their second corner. Payet’s delivery travels to the back post this time, but Scotland clear again.
Northern Ireland are beginning to enjoy some more possession in Slovakia. A diagonal pass from Davis towards Ward is too long, though, and slovakia earn a corner.
… and Payet’s delivery is cleared.
Peep! We have kicked off in Metz. And within a minute Matuidi shoots goalwards after a Giroud flick. It’s deflected out for a corner.
Meanwhile in Slovakia, Weiss goes close with Slovakia’s first chance, his shot deflected narrowly wide.
A piece of sensational, bizarre folly in Metz, as a toy car is delivering the ball to the referee. Scotland are in pink, France are in their home shirt.
Eight minutes in, Lafferty shoots goalwards and Pekarik blocks, using his right hand. The referee does not point to the spot, though – replays show the defender has kept his hand by his side and there was little he could do to get it out of the way.
France and Scotland have completed their warm ups in Metz and they should be emerging from the tunnel once more for the anthems before kick-off there. Both have named strong teams.
Slovakia continue to dominate the ball in the earlier kick-off but Northern Ireland look very solid indeed.
The opening five minutes have been dominated by Slovakia, who look patient in possession, happy to play short snappy passes and go back if there’s no obvious route to attack. Northern Ireland are playing 3-5-2, with McNair and Ferguson as the wing-backs.
Peep! Slovakia kick-off, playing from right to left as we watch it on TV. Of course the plan is to keep an eye on both games but if one is far more entertaining than the other then that will, obviously, become the focus.
We have been through the anthems at the Stadion Antona Malatinskeho. Can O’Neill’s team make it 12 games unbeaten?
“Good evening Alan,” emails Simon McMahon. “Neil Lennon and Iain Dowie have just won Celebrity Pointless. There were pairs representing Northern Ireland, England, Wales and Republic of Ireland. Talk about rubbing it in. Scotland, eh? Bloody hell.”
Dowie is also in the BBC studio for the buildup to the Northern Ireland game, alongside Keith Gillespie – a man capable of being in two places at once. Amazing!
Earlier on Germany defeated Hungary 2-0 in Gelsenkirchen – an Adam Lang own goal six minutes before half-time gave Jogi Löw’s team the lead, and Thomas Müller added the second in the 64th minute for the world champions.
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Team news
Slovakia: Kozacik; Pekarik, Skrtel, Durica, Svento; Kucka, Hamsek, Hrosovsky; Mak, Weiss, Duris.
Northern Ireland: McGovern; McAuley, Evans, Cathcart; McNair, Ferguson, Baird, Davis, Norwood; Lafferty, Ward.
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France: Lloris; Sagna, Rami, Koscielny, Evra; Pogba, Kanté, Matuidi; Payet, Giroud, Coman.
Scotland: Marshall; Martin, Greer, Hanley, Robertson; D Fletcher, McArthur; Snodgrass, Maloney, Ritchie; S Fletcher.
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Good evening. So here we are, less than a week to go before the jamboree begins. Slovakia, led by the roaming Marek Hamsik, will be doing battle with Wales, England and Russia in Group B. Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland are in a tricky Group C and France, as hosts, have a straightforward pool to navigate from. Scotland, on the other hand, will … OK, it’s not fair to joke and other teams playing today – Estonia, San Marino, Holland (!) – will be missing out too.
Yet the intense focus is on those heading to the Euros. This time next week France fans will either believe they can go all the way after an opening night win over Romania, or be considering the possibility of failure if they drop points. Gordon Strachan’s team may be forgiven for having an eye on the beach tonight, but can they make the final rehearsal for les Bleus a difficult one? That kicks-off at 9pm in France, or 8pm BST.
Fifteen minutes before that, Jan Kozak’s Slovakia will host Northern Ireland. Wales and England will be keeping a keen eye – Chris Coleman’s team play Slovakia this day next week at 5pm BST, while Roy Hodgson’s side finish their group campaign against them on 20 June. Northern Ireland begin next Sunday against Poland and there is a certain element of both sides going to the tournament with nothing to lose.
There are a couple of other games this evening, too, to keep an eye on – anything dramatic will be flagged but the focus is on the four sides above. Team news to follow imminently.
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