Varane scores header in France’s 2-1 victory over Moldova

France took a 2-1 victory over Moldova in their EURO qualifier match on Thursday as part of Group H.

Moldova took a surprising lead early as Vadim Rata gave Clement Lenglet a hard time defending and put the ball past Steven Mandanda.

It took a while before France finally leveled but it was Raphael Varane who headed the ball into the Moldova goal to.

It was a fantastic ball from Antoine Griezmann from a set piece. It was mishandled by the Moldovan keeper before Varane was able to head the ball in himself.

The scoring stayed dormant until late in the match when Moldovan defender Veaceslav Posmac took down Lucas Digne in the box. It was a great little touch from Mbappe that sent Digne through before he was taken down and France were given the penalty.

Oliver Giroud converted from the penalty spot to give France the late lead, which was also the game winner.

Despite the low score, France dominated in possession, shots, and chances. Moldova haven’t won a match in seven matches now, dating back to June. This wasn’t totally surprising as France went with a mostly full squad.

Varane played well outside of scoring the goal. He was able to prevent Moldova from scoring further and was essential to the backline. He and Lenglet played well together, despite the early mistake.

France and Varane will finish their EURO qualifiers when they face off against Albania on Sunday.