Deschamps hails Benzema-Mbappe combination as France end year unbeaten

Didier Deschamps hailed the complementary partnership between Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe after France ended their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Finland.

Benzema's deflected 66th-minute effort and a sublime individual goal from Mbappe, who had teed up the Real Madrid star for the opener, 10 minutes later ensured victory for Les Bleus in Helsinki.

The result denied Finland a place in the play-offs as Ukraine finished second in Group D. France, meanwhile, end qualifying unbeaten and are undefeated in their past 27 competitive matches, though that run includes the stunning Euro 2020 shoot-out loss to Switzerland, a streak that stretches back to June 2019.

"We must not forget Antoine Griezmann," Deschamps said afterward when asked about Benzema and Mbappe. 

"It looks easy because the two players are technically complementary.

"They will have a lot of club matches between now and our next meetings. But the combination of all these talents allows the France team to be even more efficient."

Asked about the unbeaten run, he replied: "These are numbers. There are also 13 away matches. This shows the strength of this France team. The quality is there with the addition of new players, young or old.

"It's great to end the calendar year with this victory in Finland."

Reflecting on the year, Deschamps said: "It is a positive result if I rule out 10 minutes of fatal loss of the Euro. 

"We win the Nations League and then we qualify without trembling for the World Cup. 

"We end the calendar year undefeated even if the draw against Switzerland is a defeat despite everything. The France team has shown that it remains competitive.

"There are still improvements and things that could be improved."