The French national team's first official match in ten years without Antoine Griezmann ended with a 4-1 victory over Israel, boosting the "Bleus" in the Nations League standings and sinking the Israelis further.

The scoreline was more flattering than the actual performance from the French side, who were content with a narrow lead until the closing stages, only extending the score when their opponents had already given up.

Eduardo Camavinga opened the scoring with a bit of luck in the 7th minute, before Omri Gandelman equalized with a well-executed play in the 24th. Just four minutes later, Christophe Nkunku restored France's lead, after which the match fell into a long, uneventful phase. Mattéo Guendouzi (87') and Bradley Barcola (89') rounded off the victory late in the game.

Neither Didier Deschamps' men, playing against the 79th-ranked team in the world, nor Ran Ben Shimon’s Israel, newcomers to the Nations League elite, displayed the improvement needed to boost their chances of qualifying for the next World Cup.

Israel has a long way to go, forced to play in exile in Budapest, and with players admitting that their minds were not entirely on football after the anniversary of the October 7 attack, in which some international players lost close friends.

While the result was important for France, it was equally crucial for the image of the team, as they faced their first official match in a decade without Antoine Griezmann. In addition to Griezmann’s permanent absence after retiring from international football, Kylian Mbappé, sidelined due to injury but controversially left out of the squad, was also missing.

These are two significant losses in recent French history—Griezmann, their best playmaker and key figure in Deschamps' system, and Mbappé, the third-highest scorer of all time, on track to become the top scorer soon.

This match offered a glimpse of the future France, the team Deschamps will need to shape as they approach the 2026 World Cup, when few names from the 2018 championship squad will remain.

On the pitch in Budapest, where Israel is playing amid a wartime backdrop, only Ousmane Dembélé could claim one of the two stars on France's jersey, with the rest representing the future.

In Griezmann's position, Deschamps placed his trust in young Michael Olise, a player born in London to a Nigerian father and a French-Algerian mother. Olise, who was eligible to represent four nations, chose France.

The recent Bayern Munich signing, aged 22, leveraged his strong performance at the Olympic Games, where France won silver, to secure a key role in Deschamps' system, despite his limited international experience.

In Israel’s defensive web, Olise struggled, lacking the presence that Griezmann brings to the game, showing he still has a long way to go before he can replace the Atlético Madrid star.

France also missed Mbappé, who was excluded from the squad but played for Real Madrid, a decision that has sparked controversy in France.

In his absence, it was his club teammate Camavinga who opened the scoring in the 7th minute, capitalizing on a glaring error by Israeli goalkeeper Omri Glazer, whose mishandling of a shot resulted in the ball ending up in the net.

The Real Madrid midfielder, returning to form after a long injury, anchored the midfield alongside teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni, who wore the captain's armband typically reserved for Mbappé.

Just as it seemed the goal might settle the match, a well-placed cross from Oscar Gloukh in the 24th minute dismantled France's defense, allowing Omri Gandelman to head the ball past Mike Maignan and level the score.

France responded four minutes later when Camavinga set up Nkunku, who capitalized on Israel's defensive frailties to score his first goal for the "Bleus."

The goal restored calm to France, though they fell into a complacent rhythm, while Israel's weaknesses became increasingly apparent.

There was little of note until the final moments, when with the "home" side already defeated, substitutes Guendouzi and Barcola added gloss to the scoreline beyond what the match had warranted.