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Stephane Francois’ France picked up two friendly wins over Morocco on penalties at the weekend.
France and Morocco played out two keenly-contested affairs in Balaruc les Bains that saw the hosts twice run out winners with the help of penalty shoot-outs on Saturday and Sunday.
Stephane Francois’ France side are in Euro Beach Soccer League (EBSL) action in Moscow and Sanxenxo over the coming weeks and, following a recent training camp, they were put through their paces against a Moroccan outfit ranked two places above them in the world.
Four French players made their debuts in the first game on Saturday and, in a very even match-up, the sides were tied at 3-3 each after three periods of normal time.
A 4-3 win on penalties handed Francois’ men the victory against a Morocco side who were hoping to build on their friendly win against Egypt in March.
But there was to be further disappointment for the men from North Africa as they once again held firm for a 2-2 draw in normal time only to be beaten on penalties once more.
With France gearing up for EBSL showdowns with Russia, Switzerland and Poland, two tough workouts against a strong Morocco side will stand them in good stead while the visitors will also seek to take the positives from their weekend’s work.
Speaking to the Federation Francaise de Football website, coach Francois reflected: “We suffered there together and this has helped us overcome a very good Moroccan team.
“It is satisfying to be able to win these two games with a group that has been built since February 2015 and that includes young players discovering the international level.
“A mountain awaits us [at the EBSL] but we will give everything to overcome it all together.”
Image via the FFF
