GRIEZMANN SHOWS HIS CLASS

The chatter around Antoine Griezmann has gone a little quiet amid a modest campaign by his standards, but this was evidence that Manchester United’s current attacking issues would be greatly eased by his addition. The Atletico Madrid forward was imperious for his country, scoring against Wales and earning a rapturous send-off when substituted in the second half of this friendly. There will be no World Cup for Wales but this glamour encounter at the Stade de France was a mark of their recent progress, the last meeting having come in 1982. Wales won 1-0 that night thanks to Ian Rush but a repeat always looked unlikely. There were a few moments to encourage before Olivier Giroud added a second. Chris Coleman gave first caps to youngsters Ethan Ampadu and David Brooks. Ampadu was involved in Wales’s best moment late on when Aaron Ramsey flicked his shot and drew a fine save from Steve Mandanda. Gareth Bale had already been overruled in his desire to play in this fixture by Real Madrid on grounds of fitness, but even he would have struggled against a rampant French side. Griezmann broke the deadlock, latching on to Corentin Tolisso’s pass and volleying through the hands of Wayne Hennessey before Giroud’s cool finish late on. Ramsey said: ‘They’re a great team with so many options. It was a tough test for us but a great experience for the younger boys coming on.’