France Beat Colombia As Doué Doubles Tally; Mbappé Denied Record Late On

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Desire Doue scored twice as France beat Colombia 3-1 at Northwest Stadium on 29 March 2026, with Marcus Thuram also on target. Jaminton Campaz replied for Colombia, while Kylian Mbappe had a late strike ruled out for offside as Mbappe chased Olivier Giroud’s scoring record.

Colombia created pressure across both halves despite the defeat. The visitors produced 13 attempts, only one fewer than France, and gained more touches inside the penalty area. Los Cafeteros also entered the final third more often but found France’s back line difficult to break consistently.

The deadlock broke on 29 minutes after a crowded French attack. Marcus Thuram and Rayan Cherki could not work an opening, yet the loose ball dropped kindly. Desire Doue met it first time and placed a calm shot into the bottom-right corner beyond Alvaro Montero.

France doubled the advantage 12 minutes later with a swift move down the right. Maghnes Akliouche accelerated into space after a quick transition and delivered a precise cross. Thuram glanced a deft header over Montero, giving France a 2-0 lead before the interval.

Colombia had actually started the match strongly. Luis Diaz attacked from the left and fired a dangerous cross towards goal. Theo Hernandez slid in to intercept, and the deflection almost beat Brice Samba, but Hernandez’s touch bounced just wide of the French upright.

After half-time, Colombia again came out with purpose and tried to shift momentum. However, France struck next on 56 minutes. Thuram, under close defensive pressure, managed to square the ball across the area, where an unmarked Doue arrived to finish into an empty net.

Colombia refused to fold and finally scored with 21 minutes remaining. A loose ball dropped inside the French box, where Jefferson Lerma stayed alert. Lerma spotted substitute Jaminton Campaz in space, and Campaz’s first-time effort flew beyond Samba to cut the deficit.

France vs Colombia: Mbappe’s offside, stats and data debrief

Mbappe entered as a 78th-minute substitute and quickly unsettled Colombia’s defence. Mbappe repeatedly ran in behind the back line searching for goal number 57. One breakaway finished with Mbappe rounding Montero and scoring, but the assistant’s flag cancelled the effort for offside.

Doue’s performance stood out in the data as well as on the scoresheet. The Paris Saint-Germain player became the first France footballer to open an international account with a brace since Thomas Lemar’s two goals against Netherlands in August 2017, underlining the significance of Doue’s display.

Across the match, Doue produced a game-high three shots, all of them on target. No other player recorded more than Doue’s five entries into the final third. The 18-year-old also led the contest with 0.56 expected goals, highlighting how often Doue reached strong shooting positions.

Colombia matched France in several attacking metrics despite trailing by two goals at full-time. Los Cafeteros finished with 30 touches in the opposition box compared to France’s 24, and they recorded 47 final-third entries to France’s 30, yet Colombia struggled for clear chances.

The result completed a perfect United States tour for France, with two wins from two matches. France showed clinical finishing through Doue and Thuram, while Colombia displayed energy and attacking intent. The numbers suggested a closer contest, yet France’s sharper finishing secured the 3-1 scoreline.