Bitter farewells: Spain slip up against Iraq and France suffer comeback

Bitter farewells: Spain slip up against Iraq and France suffer comeback Spain and France, two of the biggest favorites for the upcoming World Cup, stumbled in friendlies played this Thursday (4). They were saying goodbye to their home fans before traveling to the tournament.  But no one told the teams on the other side. France — playing almost at full strength — took the lead, but Ivory Coast secured a 2-1 win in Nantes thanks to the less famous Doué shining. Mbappé & Co.'s team had not lost since June 5 last year.  Meanwhile, a heavily rotated Spain saw Iraq celebrate a 1-1 draw at Riazor. Many stars didn’t play... Luis de La Fuente relied on several players helping with preparations before the trip to the World Cup. In other words: they will not be in the tournament. Yamal and Nico Williams — still recovering — plus Oyarzabal and Pedri were not even available. Ferran Torres opened the scoring after a mistake by Basil, and Doski equalized by catching Joan García off guard with a cross that went straight in. 📸 ANDER GILLENEA - AFP or licensors A great result for Iraq even against a much-changed opponent. Spain are in Group H with Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde. Iraq — back for the first time since the 1986 World Cup — are in Group I with France, Norway and Senegal.  Stunner, another Doué shining and... an upset? Didier Deschamps was warmly celebrated by the home crowd at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes. The 2026 World Cup will be his last tournament as coach of Les Bleus. He has already been in the job for fourteen years. He only rested Dembélé, Doué and Saliba among the outfield players.  Cherki, Thuram, Olise and Mbappé made up the attack. And it was Cherki who opened the scoring. Older brother of Désiré Doué and an Ivory Coast international, 23-year-old Guela Doué leveled the match. He plays for Strasbourg. The comeback came in the 84th minute thanks to another contribution from Guela Doué, who set up United player Amad Diallo.  Ivory Coast are in Group E alongside Germany, Ecuador and Curaçao. And France are in the already mentioned Group I with Norway, Senegal and Iraq. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.