France 4-1 Albania: 5 Talking Points

A very different France line-up greeted Albania on the pitch at the Stade De France. Most changes enforced upon Didier Deschamps by a growing injury list, but France were able to earn a home win in a fairly easy encounter against a docile Albania.

Kingsley Coman's early goal gave France the early impetus they needed to kickstart the game. It allowed them to pile on the pressure and invite Albania to try and win the ball back while moving them around.

When Giroud added to the scoresheet, it came as no surprise. But considering that Albania were sitting deep for most of the game, the big striker had too much space to pick his spot from Lucas Hernandez's cross. The left-back was involved in another incident not long after as he was brought down in the box and won the penalty that Antoine Griezmann missed.

Coman got his second on the other side of half-time getting on the end of a cross and applying a smart finish to bag his brace. The man who would replace him, Lille's Jonathan Ikone, scored France's last goal of the game.

With the tie more or less already lost, France gave away an unfortunate penalty as Hugo Lloris brought down Sokol Cikalleshi in the box and the Albanian stepped up to convert from the spot to round off the 4-1 scoreline with Albania's first shot on target.

Here, we have a look at some of the major talking points of the game.

#1. France's strength in depth

Thomas Lemar impressed in the middle of the park

Deschamps picked the best of a group of players available to him after accounting for a large number of absences. The likes of Thomas Lemar, Kingsley Coman, and Corentin Tolisso getting their chance to impress in the absence of Paul Pogba, Tanguy Ndombele, and Kylian Mbappe.

The whole team stepped up in the absence of these big names to throw their names in the ring for future consideration.

The level of players in this French squad is ridiculous not only in quality but the number of absolute ballers on the bench. They're also a young set of players on whom France can depend for many years to come.

#2. Olivier Giroud deserves more respect

Often questioned as a starter for France, Giroud has repeatedly proven himself

The French striker was once again on target taking his total tally of goals to 36 for the French national team. He remains in 3rd place in the list of all-time top goalscorers for France in that list behind Michel Platini in second place with 41 goals and Thierry Henry who tops the charts with 51 goals.

His inclusion in this French squad chock full of talent often raises questions. Yet, time and time again he shows why he remains the primary choice in the number 9 position for Deschamps. He was directly involved in the build-up to two goals on the night apart from the one he scored as well.

His presence up top and ability to bring the likes of Griezmann, Coman, and Lemar into play allows France to play the attacking football they so desire. The closest that France have to a replacement for Giroud is Sebastien Haller who hasn't entered the conversation around the national team yet but could possibly be an option when Giroud hangs up his boots.

#3. Antoine Griezmann's misfortune

Griezmann missed a penalty for the first time in a France shirt

With a host of attacking talent missing, a lot of the onus going forward fell on the very able shoulders of Antoine Griezmann. He was involved in a lot of the attacking play from France as usual but found it difficult to convert his chances.

His play, on the whole, was good and he linked up well with Giroud and Coman in particular. But when it came to his shooting, he had a poor day in front of goal.

He missed a penalty in a France shirt for the first time after his shot cannoned off the crossbar from the spot. That was just the tip of the iceberg as his shots were either blocked even from close range and on one occasion when he seemingly had the keeper beaten all ends up, Thomas Strakosha got a foot to the ball to deny the striker.

#4. More of the same from Lucas Hernandez

Lucas Hernandez is proving to be quite player for club and country

One of the four Bayern Munich players who started the game, Lucas Hernandez had an absolute belter of a game. The left-back was able to maraud forward given Albania's willingness to cede possession, and he took full advantage.

He assisted Giroud's goal and was brought down in the box for a penalty that Griezmann missed. He was also heavily involved in the build-up to Kingsley Coman's second goal.

This isn't an unexpected performance from Hernandez, but given that he's just returning from a long term injury, an average performance from him wouldn't be too heavily criticised. However, the left-back didn't settle for less and slotted right back into the role he always played for France.

After repeatedly getting clobbered, he was eventually replaced by Everton's Lucas Digne, but he had already made his mark upon his return to the national side.

#5. Dream debut for Jonathan Ikone

Ikone moved from the Paris Saint Germain Academy in search fo regular first-team football

The 21-year-old got 10 assists and 3 goals in Lille's campaign last season and his impressive performances caught Deschamps' eye. The attacker replaced Kingsley Coman to make his debut for the senior national men's side, coming on only in the 77th minute.

He made an impression in his early minutes carrying the ball forward and into the box; almost getting a shot away before it was nicked away for a corner. But it wasn't his moment, yet.

The debutant bagged his first goal for the French senior side in the 85th-minute from a similar move but this time he kept his cool to slot the ball into the goal. We only saw a glimpse of the Lille forward, but he's yet another who's making waves in France and we could possibly see more of him when France take on Andorra next.