Live Commentary: France 8-0 Jamaica - as it happened

Good evening everyone and welcome to our live coverage as France welcome Jamaica to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. This is France's final friendly fixture before they travel to Brazil to begin their World Cup campaign and they will be looking to head to tournament on the back of a resounding win. Jamaica, on the other hand, will be seeking to leave French soil without too much of a drubbing at the hands of Didier Deschamps and his men.

Les Bleus were rocked on Friday by the news that key man Franck Ribery has been ruled out of the tournament with a niggling back injury, while the French will also have to make do without the creative Clement Grenier.

The absence of Ribery has opened up a massive window of opportunity in the French squad; one that the exiled Samir Nasri may have been perfectly suited to fill? Instead, it appears that Real Sociedad's Antoine Griezmann will be given the support of Deschamps to fill the current void on the left wing. Griezmann has done himself no harm in France's previous fixtures, having scored an impressive late goal against Paraguay last weekend.

The 23-year-old has also had a standout season on the domestic front, scoring 16 goals in La Liga.

Meanwhile, while Griezmann will be licking his lips at the chance to shine in Brazil, Ribery is heartbroken at missing the tournament. Here's what he had to say earlier in the week, according to ESPN: It's with death in the soul that I am forced to leave the French national team and pull out of the World Cup. I had always hoped, after noting encouraging signs in recent days, to be ready for France—Jamaica.

Some team news for you now...

France starting XI: Lloris; Debuchy, Evra, Cabaye, Varane, Sakho, Sissoko, Matuidi, Giroud, Valbuena, Benzema

Jamaica starting XI: Barrett; Doyley, Lawrence, Austin, Morgan, Mariappa, Grant, Beckett, Seaton, Humphrey, Dawkins

France substitutes: Cabella, Griezmann, Mavuba, Mangala, Sagna, Ruffier, Digne, Remy, Koscielny, Schneiderlin, Landreau

Jamaica substitutes: Edwards, Finlayson, Gray, Sheriff, Campbell, Thompson, Edwards, Williams

Well, France have posted an attacking starting XI, though you'll notice that Griezmann hasn't been included - instead he has to settle for a place on the bench. Deschamps has made three changes since the Paraguay game, with Karim Benzema, Moussa Sissoko and Raphael Varane coming into the team.

It looks as though this might be the starting XI France will play when they meet Honduras next Sunday, though I think they'll be one change with Griezmann coming in for Sissoko.

I really do fear for Jamaica tonight, I think they might be on the end of a drubbing in this fixture, especially with Benzema coming back into the fold. All the players will be looking to cement their places for next week's showpiece, so expect a concerted and efficient performance from the French.

With that in mind, I'm going to give a predication of a 5-0 French win at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Let's see how all the action unfolds!

Here we go then, France get us underway, kicking from right to left in their blue home strip.

CHANCE! Jamaica look shaky already as Sissoko fires in a cross from the left which Barrett makes a mess of, though Benzema is just out of reach as he looks to follow up and the ball is cleared.

Benzema is looking threatening as he looks to switch from flank to flank. This time he picks up the ball and feeds Valbuena, who picks out a cross for Giroud, though the Arsenal man can't quite do enough to get his head to it.

CHANCE! Jamaica win a set piece out of nowhere really and the ball is whipped into the box. Seaton is quickest off the mark as he rushes to the front post, though his headed effort is a little wild and he heads wide of the post with Lloris looking stranded between the sticks.

Valbuena appears to be the creative spark in this French side this evening, he's given far too much space in the middle which allows him to slip a neat ball through to Giroud, but he's unable to hold off the defender, who steps in to make a vital interception.

Barrett is looking a tad nervous in the Jamaica goal and he almost costs his side as he comes scrambling off his line to claim a Valbuena cross and gets nowhere near it. Instead the ball evades everyone and goes out for a throw.

The hosts have a worrying fluidity to their frontline tonight, with Benzema, Giroud, Valbuena and Sissoko all providing lots of movement up front. However, they haven't been able to make the final ball count thus far, despite being in a number of good positions.

Regardless of France's dominance in the opening stages, Jamaica don't seem too worried and have looked to play out from the back despite a high, pressing line being deployed by Les Bleus.

The home side make their dominance counts and it's Paris Saint-Germain's Cabaye who opens the scoring. The midfield starts the move by feeding a short pass into Valbuena, before making a neat run into the box. Valbuena lofts a clever ball into Giroud, who wins the knockdown, leaving the advancing Cabaye with the chance to battle past his marker and slide the ball past the Jamaican keeper. Clever move, that!

And here we go, have the flood gates now opened? Jamaica allow the French far too much time in the middle, leaving Cabaye with space to feed a ball to Benzema's feet on the left. With one touch he tucks a ball into Matuidi who is lingering on the edge of the box. The PSG man uses the pace of the ball to turn it past his marker, before opening up with a fabulous strike along the ground that flies past the despairing Barrett and into the bottom corner.

The French have a little too much quality for the Jamaicans and it's even showing when they're out of possession. The Blues are doing every thing they can to press when they don't have the ball and it's paying off as the visitors look rushed beyond repair.

SAVE! Some tricky play in the box sees Matuidi bustle past two defenders before laying off a pass for Benzema. With his back to goal, the striker turns and fires off a shot, but Barrett is equal to it and makes a comfortable save. The French do look rampant, though!

It's Matuidi and Cabaye pulling all of the strings from the centre of the park, if the Jamaicans want to put an end to this they're going to need to shut the two midfielders down a little quicker. Saying that, France's movement in attack has been really impressive, leaving Jamaica on the back foot and unable to push out from their own box.

Jamaica haven't given up when they do have possession and are looking to get forward with the ball when possible. For the first time they string more than five passes together, with the ball ending up out on the right wing. However, the resulting cross is too wayward and Debuchy is left to clear at the back post under very little pressure.

The French look a little worried now as Debuchy is left on the ground following an awkward challenge with Lawrence, with both players sliding to reach the ball at the back post. It looks like it may only be a dead leg for the Frenchman though and he's now up on his feet doing a lap of the pitch.

GOAL!  GOAL! France 3-0 Jamaica (Karim Benzema)

More class from the French as Benzema adds a third with an outstanding finish from the edge of the box. It comes from nothing really as an interchange of short passes around the box comes to nothing, leaving Benzema with possession just outside the area. Using the defence as a shield, he shifts the ball onto his right to create an angle and curls a magnificent finish over the Jamaican back line and past a helpless Barrett. A wonderful piece of skill from the Real Madrid striker!

It's hard to criticise this Jamaican team because they haven't done a whole lot wrong, France have just been far too good for them. If they do want to keep this from being a rugby score, the visitors do need to start pressing the French midfield a bit more. They've been given too much time to make their decisions tonight.

YELLOW CARD! Cabaye is shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Grant, which was completely unnecessary all things considered.

The referee calls a halt to the first half and France are looking comfortable. I'm not too sure how much we can look into this going into the World Cup, with the French looking far too good for the away side.

The hosts have combined a free-roaming midfield with an incredibly fluid frontline to open up the Jamaicans. Cabaye and Matuidi have been given the run of the midfield, allowing them to pick out the first ball into the French strikers. Cabaye in particular has been impressive, with the PSG man starting the move which saw him tap home the opener.

France's second again was an example of how they've been given far too much time on the ball. Cabaye's freedom in the centre allowed him to make the initial pass into Benzema, who fed Matuidi and allowed him to power home his impressive effort in the 20th minute.

Deschamps will no doubt be pleased, though, with his side looking confident when in possession. An example of this comes in the form of the hosts' third, with Benzema showing his ability with a well-crafted effort which evaded both the defence and goalkeeper.

Valbuena has also caused a lot of damage with his movement and short passing, which has left the Jamaican defence constantly on the back foot, providing his teammates with the chance to push forward unopposed.

I wonder what changes France will make in the second half? Surely Deschamps will want to give Griezmann the chance to have a run out ahead of next Sunday's opener, while Paul Pogba may also be looking to get a few more minutes under his belt before the tournament begins.

The players are now making their way back out onto the pitch as we await the start of the second half. More goals, please! I'm sure the French won't let us down given that first-half display.

We're back underway now, with Jamaica looking to stem the flow of goals in the second half as they kick things back into action. Bacary Sagna has been brought on in place of Debuchy.

Despite having kickoff, Jamaica concede possession within a few seconds and France begin to move the ball crisply along the back, with the hosts mirroring the start of the first period.

Jamaica enjoy a comfortable spell of possession in France's half, but it's almost destructive as they're caught out on the counter. Benzema hurries forward and is able to shake off his marker with consummate ease, however his cross isn't good enough to clear the first man and Jamaica are able to clear.

CLOSE! More great counter attacking stuff from the hosts as they shift the ball from one side of the pitch to the other. Valbuena feeds Sissoko on the right, with the winger looking to find his teammate with a cut back inside the box. The pass is perfect, but a Jamaican defender throws himself of Valbuena's shot as it looks bound for the net. Great defending!

GOAL!  GOAL! France 4-0 Jamaica (Olivier Giroud)

Well then: more space, another goal... Jamaica make a real howler of their defensive play as Gray looks to bomb forward from right-back. The visitors lose the ball in the centre of the park, leaving Valbuena with the chance to pick out Benzema on the left, with the striker peeling away from the full-back who is left in no man's land. Benzema's cross is inch-perfect for Giroud, who is waiting to convert with his right in the centre of the box, though he nearly makes a mess of it and has the post to thank in all honesty, as his effort thunders off the woodwork and into the back of the net.

Substitution: France make another change, this time as Cabaye is replaced by Rio Mavuba in the centre of the pitch.

Sissoko has furthered his case for a start next Sunday, with the winger looking dangerous from both sides of the pitch. This time he bombards forward down the right, beating the left-back twice before being dispossessed on the edge of the box.

SAVE! Great work from Barrett sees him react with an instinct save to deny Varane with a header from a corner. The Real Madrid centre-back rises highest in the box, heading his effort into the ground, leaving the ball to bounce up and head towards the top corner. The Jamaican keeper has other ideas however, as he manages to tip the ball over the bar.

Benzema is really showing his worth this evening and grabs his second goal of the night with another standout strike. The visitors are probably at fault as they allow the Real Madrid striker to maraud towards the box before picking his spot and curling beyond Barrett with his right from distance.

I suspect my fingers may still have a lot more work to do in the final 15 minutes. It's Matuidi who grabs France's sixth of the night and his second with a tidy finish past Barrett from a cross. Evra is the provider, with the Manchester United full-back sending in a smart ball from the left, leaving the midfielder to half-volley home from a few yards out. Smart finish!

OFF THE WOODWORK! Benzema is on fire and it's nearly a hat-trick for the Frenchman. Using quick feet, the forward shifts the ball onto his left on the edge of the area - a move which is followed by a wild strike which cannons off the underside of the bar and somehow rebounds back into open play.

CLOSE! Poor Jamaica, they really don't seem to have a clue how to stop this French onslaught. Such is the hosts' confidence, Sagna gets forward from the back and sends in an enterprising cross for the advancing Valbuena. However, the midfielder doesn't make the right connection and sends his shinned effort wide of the post.

It's second-half substitute Griezmann how shows a deft touch to grab France's seventh. The goal comes about through great work from Benzema, who beats the left-back before squaring the ball across the box for Valbuena. Somehow the midfielder makes a real mess of it and trips over his own feet, leaving the ball to run through to Griezmann. He makes no mistake by taking one touch to control it and another to lash the ball past Barrett, who looks a little bored to be honest.

I did question the choice of opposition for this friendly, but this performance tonight could have carved open a number of international teams. France's front six have been outstanding, while they've been calm and collected at the back too.

The hosts are showing their class now as they look to see out the game with a flourish; lots of short, slick passes and the visitors look tied up in knots. Evra produces a neat one-two with Pogba, leaving the full-back with space in behind to lay the ball off for Remy, who tucks into the net with an adroit finish on the turn, but the linesman already has his flag up for offside. Great teamwork, the hosts look like they're finally playing for each other for once...

Eight now and it's Griezmann who grabs his second goal of the game. It comes following some fabulous play between Evra and Sissoko, with a clever one-two allowing the midfielder to cross for Griezmann, who guides the ball past Barrett with a neat Cruyff-like turn.

So France use their last friendly to send out a huge signal to other nations at the World Cup. Jamaica might not be the best of opponents, but Les Bleus put on a show of real attacking quality, headlined by Karim Benzema. We'll see you soon for our World Cup coverage, France as an outside bet? Based on this performance, it might be worth the gamble!