Jeremy Jacquet made his senior debut for France on Monday, playing the full 90 minutes in a narrow 1-0 victory over Belgium. The 21-year-old Liverpool defender admitted he was not entirely satisfied with his own performance despite the clean sheet and the win.
“It's true that as a defender, a clean sheet is the best thing you can do,” Jacquet said. “Especially with the win at the end. I can only be happy. But to say I'm satisfied, no. I think back to two or three attacking balls when I could have done much better with my passing. In particular, I can find the back line more quickly when winning the ball back. Despite two or three turnovers, I'm generally happy. We're leaving with the three points and the clean sheet.”
Zidane’s trust in young players
Jacquet also spoke about France coach Zinedine Zidane, who informed him of his starting role two days before the match. “He's very close to all of us. I can't read his mind, but he gives everyone the opportunity to prove themselves, and everyone has taken their chance,” he said.
“He's not afraid to play young players or players with few caps. He talks a lot with the senior players, and when he has something to tell me, he lets me know. Overall, he's very close to the team, and he always speaks calmly when he has a message to deliver.”
On his prospects of becoming a regular starter, Jacquet added: “I'm not going to get into whether I'll become a starter. I'm taking my time and keeping my feet on the ground. I'm asked to play, I'm given instructions and I try to follow them. I've got my head screwed on.”
Barcola’s penalty frustration
While French media praised Jacquet, they were less kind to his Liverpool team-mate Bradley Barcola, whose performance was described as ‘messy’ and ‘wasteful’. Barcola started for France and completed 77 minutes before being replaced by Michael Olise, who scored the 88th-minute winner.
Barcola was unhappy that a first-half penalty appeal was turned down following a challenge from Nathan Ngoy. “If I talk about it, I'm probably in trouble, but I have to say what I think,” he said. “I felt the contact. I was inside the box and I was trying to continue the action. Maybe the referee saw it differently, but from where I was, it affected the play. What frustrates me most is that these decisions can change a game. You work for 90 minutes and sometimes one moment decides everything.”
He added: “I don't want to complain about referees in the Nations League or Premier League, I just want consistency. If there is contact and it affects the attacker, at least take another look. I'll probably get fined for saying this, but honestly, I thought it was a penalty.”
Other Liverpool players in action
Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez both completed the full 90 minutes as Hungary were held to a 0-0 draw away at Northern Ireland. Armin Pecsi and Kieran Morrison were unused substitutes for either side.
Giorgi Mardashvili kept a clean sheet as Georgia were held to a goalless draw by Ukraine in the Nations League. Ronald Araujo completed the full 90 minutes and was booked as Uruguay beat South Korea 4-1 in a friendly, with former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez scoring twice.
Keyrol Figueroa scored on his full Honduras debut in a 1-0 win over Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League. The striker, on loan at Port Vale, said: “Look, look at what we did! The first goal of my career with Honduras. I'm very proud of this opportunity they gave me with the national team.”
Kyle Kelly helped St. Kitts and Nevis to a 3-0 home victory over Grenada, playing the full 90 minutes for the Reds midfielder.
