FRANCE ENDS FINLAND'S HOPES OF PLAYING IN THE 2022 WORLD CUP
France ended Finland's hopes of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time as a 2-0 win in Helsinki condemned the Nordic nation to third place in UEFA qualifying Group D.
With France's place at Qatar 2022 already secured, attention in the group was firmly on the battle for a place in the play-offs between Finland and Ukraine.
Finland began the night in the box seat, two points ahead of Ukraine, but the situation was turned on its head in the second half.
Oleksandr Zinchenko and Artem Dovbyk secured a 2-0 win for Ukraine over Bosnia-Herzegovina while Karim Benzema's deflected strike and a superb individual effort from Kylian Mbappe saw the reigning world champions claim maximum points as Finland fell at the final hurdle.
A long-range Mbappe effort was the most threatening chance France could muster in a first half where both sides had just one shot on target.
France were forced to withdraw Leo Dubois after he was injured late in the opening period, with Benjamin Pavard filling in at right-back after the break.
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