International Friendlies: France vs Italy, 3 key battles that decided the game

#2 N'Golo Kante vs Jorginho

Kante was far from his best, but it was more than enough to fend off the Italians

This might sound unimaginable, and even a little blasphemous, but Kante was a little off on the night.

The usually solid as a rock defensive midfielder did not have the greatest of games for France, as a lot of fouls went against him and deservedly so. Despite not getting a yellow card in the match, Kante was often the reason for Italy getting a free-kick in attacking positions.

But surprisingly, Kante was much influential offensively, as he often found himself in positions he usually doesn't. He had a shot very early on that hit the post, catching everyone including Sirigu by surprise.

Kante was not without his defensive contributions - it is just that he wasn't as reliable as he is at Chelsea. He was miles better than his opponent in the same position as Jorginho, who was often passed by the French attackers without even a second thought.

The Napoli midfielder's lack of chemistry with his teammates was the most important factor, as he is usually quality with his club. In this case, there wasn't much he could do as France used their pace to good effect and bypassed any and all of Italy's midfield with ease.