In the World Cup qualifying match against Belarus, the French team faced an unexpected setback as Belarus scored the opening goal through Egor Filipenko. The first half ended with Belarus in the lead, and if the score were to remain the same, it would mark a significant crisis for the French team. Didier Deschamps surprised many by selecting Olivier Giroud over Karim Benzema as the striker. The Real Madrid striker had faced widespread criticism for his goal drought of almost 14 games. The Blues’ lineup included Lloris, Clichy, Abidal, Koscielny, Jallet, Matuidi, Pogba, Ribéry, Valbuena, Payet, and Giroud.
