England failed to beat a France side reduced to ten men this evening, succumbing to a 3-2 defeat.
Gareth Southgate deployed a 3-4-3 system against Didier Deschamps’ side, and The Three Lions got off to the best start possible as Harry Kane converted from close range after a slick move from England.
However, it was not long before France found their way back into the game as Samuel Umtiti fired home from close range.
Les Bleus then took the lead in the Stade de France, with Djibril Sidibe netting his first ever international goal on the stroke of half time to send his side in at the break 2-1 up.
However, shortly after the restart Dele Alli drew a foul from Raphael Varane in the area, leading to a penalty and a red card for the Real Madrid defender.
Kane stepped up against his Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris and converted with conviction, levelling things.
Despite the numerical advantage though, England could not prevent an effervescent, determined France side from taking the lead and taking the spoils, with Ousmane Dembele notching the fifth and decisive goal of the game.
Here are our match ratings from England’s defeat out in Paris.
Tom Heaton - 4
His kicking was dodgy throughout and he was arguably at fault for both goals. Very poor half from the Burnley skipper.
Phil Jones - 7
Aside from a few misplaced passes, Jones was relatively solid at the back and made a few important challenges.
John Stones - 4
A pretty atrocious performance from Stones. He was given the runaround throughout by Dembele and Kylian Mbappe, and appeared to struggle with the occasion.
Gary Cahill - 5
Cahill wasn’t much better, either. He failed to lead by example and lacked composure throughout. Should have done more to block Dembele’s effort for the third.
Kieran Trippier - 7
Should have been utilised more in the first half but made a good impression at right wing-back.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 3
Did he retain the ball once? Sloppy all evening and not of the standard required to match such talented midfielders that opposed him.
Eric Dier - 4
Dier was pretty shocking in the middle too. His pases were often overcooked and he failed to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Ryan Bertrand - 7
It was, perhaps, a mistake to substitute Bertrand at half-time. He put two crosses on a plate for England’s attacking trio and one of them was converted by Kane.
Raheem Sterling - 5
Sterling had a poor first half, but gradually improved in the second. Didn’t influence the game enough but helped England transition from defence to attack quickly.
Dele Alli - 5
Won England a penalty – albeit a debatable one – and worked hard. However, these are the games that players such as Alli need to shine in and stamp their authority on. He failed to do so.
Harry Kane - 8
Kane had two clear-cut opportunities and took them both. He was imperious leading from the front and would have posed even more of a threat with better service.
Kyle Walker (Sub) - 6
Coped relatively well out on the left but didn’t really threaten France down the left. It was a strange move from Southgate to bring Walker on for Bertrand.
Jack Butland (Sub) - 7
Butland looked shaky on a couple of occasions but made two good stops to deny Kylian Mbappe. Far superior to Heaton on the night.
Adam Lallana (Sub) - 5
Was only on for a short period but was ineffective and couldn’t find space.
Aaron Cresswell (Sub) - 5
Similarly to Lallana, he struggled to impact proceedings but was largely isolated on the left.