Parc des Princes saw a royal French display against Irish rebels

France continued their flawless start in the European Championship qualifying campaign with a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland at the Parc des Princes. Irish fans were hoping for a revenge for Thierry Henry's legendary handball that cost them a place in the 2010 World Cup. However, Les Bleus were simply too strong.

A beautiful shot from Aurelien Tchouameni and a classy finish from Marcus Thuram were too much for goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu. Early in the game, Adrien Rabiot forced the Southampton goalie into a sharp save, and Kylian Mbappe narrowly missed the target shortly after. Despite this, Stephen Kenny's team showed promise, with Chiedozie Ogbene's explosive pace causing issues for the French defense.

However, France demonstrated their quality to open the scoring spectacularly. Tchouameni received a pass from Mbappe on the edge of the box and capitalized on the space given to him, curling a stunning 25-yard shot into the top corner. Ireland aimed to build on their solid first-half performance but conceded early in the second half for the third time in four matches. A well-executed French move led to Thuram scoring brilliantly on the turn, marking his first goal for the French national team.

Ireland had a chance to pull one back with an Ogbene header, but it was met with a world-class save from France's goalkeeper, Mike Maignan. Despite a couple of attempts, The Boys in Green couldn't find the back of the net, and France threatened with further chances, including a long-range effort by Tchouameni and a shot by Ousmane Dembele that cannoned off the post. Ultimately, France secured the win, while Ireland faces challenges, having lost three of their first four qualifiers and facing the Netherlands in their next match as they seek to revive their campaign.

Meanwhile, the Dutch beat Greece easily at home, keeping in touch with the French on the road to the European Championships.