France now look destined for a playoff in World Cup qualifying following their disappointing performance on Friday. They needed to be flawless for the remainder of qualifying to keep the pressure on Spain, but they were poor in a 0-0 draw with Georgia.
The Georgians probably got away with a penalty in the 20th minute, when Ucha Lobjanidze appeared to block a cross with his hand while standing in the penalty area. He didn't actively move his arm towards the ball, but it was away from his body. The referee opted not to point to the spot.
Karim Benzema forced the only reasonably difficult save that Giorgi Loria had to make during the game in the 29th minute. The Georgian goalkeeper spilled his initial attempt, but his defense didn't have a problem clearing the ball away.
Georgia started out the second half as the stronger side and nearly scored in the 49th minute. Tornike Okriashvili forced a save out of Hugo Lloris, then hit the post on a follow-up attempt. Unfortunately for Georgia, they would never get a better chance to score.
In the 60th minute, Benzema appeared to pick up a slight injury. It didn't look serious, but he was subbed off as a precaution anyway, with Andre-Pierre Gignac taking his place in the France forward line. He didn't fare any better than Benzema up top, though, as France struggled to do anything of note in the second half. Samir Nasri came on in the 78th minute, starting a spell of dominance for France, but their increased pressure on Georgia and possession in the final third still didn't lead to scoring opportunities.
Laurent Koscielny had the best chance to win the match for France on an 87th-minute set piece, but missed wide with his header. The final minute of stoppage time was a bit wild, with both teams countering on each other, but nothing came of the frenetic attacks.
Georgia: Loria, Lobjanidze, Grigalava, Amisulashvili, Khubutia, Kashia, Kankava, Kobakhidze (Grigalashvili 60'), Ananidze (Targamadze 70'), Okriashvili, Gelashvili (Dvalishvili 79')
Goals: None.
France: Lloris, Evra, Koscielny, Abidal, Sagna, Ribery, Sissoko, Guilavogui (Nasri 78'), Valbuena, Giroud, Benzema (Gignac 62')
Goals: None.
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