Desire Doue says he is “very proud” after scoring his first two goals for France in their 3-1 friendly win over Colombia.
Doue scored in each half, and Marcus Thuram also scored as France made it two wins in the March international break, having also beaten Brazil.
Jaminton Campaz pulled one back for Colombia late on, while Kylian Mbappé almost grabbed the headlines in stoppage time.
After coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute, Mbappé scored into an empty net, only to be denied a 57th goal for the national team by the offside flag that would have put him level with Olivier Giroud at the top of the scoring charts.
But Doue led the line in his absence, with a game-high three shots, all on target, while only Thuram (six) had more touches in the opposition box.
He also became the first player to open his goal account for France with a brace since Thomas Lemar in August 2017 (two goals against Netherlands).
“There is a lot of pride. I am very happy,” Doue told TF1. “It’s a great victory.
“It wasn’t easy, there was a lot of intensity, we played two very good preparation games and we are very happy.
“The coach told us that it was also important to win. We did some good things. We need to continue like this. Do I feel like I have scored points? Yes, I try to help the team in every game.”
France are among the favorites to win the World Cup this summer and players are trying to stake their claim for a place in the team.
Rayan Cherki created a match-high three chances and made 21 passes in the final third, more than any other player, while only N’Golo Kante (six) bettered his five tackles in the final third.
“I’m a team player. I know that rival teams often expect me to make a mistake,” he told TF1.
“The only thing I’m looking for is for my team to leave the game with a smile.
“I’m satisfied, but I can always do better. I think I’ve shown the coach that I’m capable of contributing to the team, both on and off the field. That’s the most important thing for me.”
France is now unbeaten in its last nine matches in all competitions, failing to win only one of them: a 2-2 draw with Iceland in World Cup qualifying.
They had to struggle at times against an energetic Colombian team, which managed 13 shots (one less than France), and equaled Les Bleus’ five attempts on goal.
Didier Deschamps opted for a heavily rotated lineup in their win over Brazil on Thursday, and was excited to get the chance to see much of his team before having to make his final decision.
“The sporting results are very positive,” he told TF1. “We faced two good teams [Brazil and Colombia].
“The quality is there and all the players who played are eager to return in June. They don’t always have time to play.” [Against Colombia]everyone played except [Lucas] Gentleman. “That’s good, we faced some adversity.”
