France clinch the fifth place thanks to the victory against Canada (2-1). The coach Johan Radet is satisfied and explains the French Football Federation's strategy about the Maurice Revello Tournament.
« I have a felling of accomplished duty. We came here today to clinch the fifth place and we did it. The boys have invested themselves and were serious until these last three minutes and this avoidable goal. Our record in this tournament is correct as we won three of our four games. But at the top-level football, you have to be efficient all the time. We will remember this half time against Scotland.
We would love to reach the semi-finals but we finished fifth and this is certainly deserved. We didn't do everything we could to deserve a little more. This tournament offers a good level, I think there are some emerging nations which are starting to make things more difficult for us.
We have a different stragety about this tournament as we are coming with our U20s and not the U21s. We prefer to take part in this competition with young players who, for the most part, earn their first call-up here. It allows us to observe other boys, to see them, to evaluate them, to keep them in the federal system, to show them that « you are not with the U21s but we are still following you ». This is good to give them some international experience that can be beneficial for the future.
I loved playing the Maurice Revello Tournament, I think the players had a good time, they saw what is the international level and the efforts required to be successful on the international scene. It’s instructive for everyone ! »