Buoyed by Euro 2024 qualification two days earlier, the makeshift visitors stunned the World Cup runners-up early on in Lille when Eduardo Camavinga’s inexplicable passback allowed Billy Gilmour to smash in his first goal in senior football.
But that moment served as a wake-up call for the French, who levelled just five minutes later when Benjamin Pavard glanced a header in at the far post from an Antoine Griezmann corner.
The Inter Milan defender nodded in a second soon after, this time benefiting from Kylian Mbappe’s devastating burst of pace past Jack Hendry before the Paris St-Germain superstar dinked the ball to Pavard.
Mbappe would add a third before the break, his 43rd France goal in 73 caps, smashing a penalty beyond debutant goalkeeper Liam Kelly after a video assistant referee review judged Liam Cooper to have pulled Olivier Giroud to the deck.
And Kingsley Coman completed the scoring after the interval, thundering in a half-volley on the rebound past Zander Clark – also handed his first cap in the second half – after Griezmann’s initial close-range finish came back off the bar.
Given the extent of Sunday’s celebrations, the Scots would be forgiven for showing up bleary-eyed just 48 hours later in Lille, but a side featuring eight changes held their own for periods despite the scoreline.
Spells of chasing the ball were often followed with spells of measured possession, especially in the early stages when Gilmour crashed in and also late on when Jacob Brown and Stuart Armstrong came off the bench to force France keeper Mike Maignan into action.
Former Scotland striker Steven Thompson’s instant reaction of “ha-ha” on punditry duty reflected the nation’s disbelief at Gilmour’s opener, but Steve Clarke’s side were soon brought crashing back to earth when Pavard’s quickfire double was followed by Mbappe’s penalty.
Had Ousmane Dembele converted from close range, or Pavard met a ball at the back post to complete an incredible first-half hat-trick, Scotland might have been in for a tougher lesson.
But the French eventually added deserved gloss their victory with substitute Coman’s thumping finish.
Player of the match – Kylian Mbappe
Tough lessons will only benefit Scotland – analysis
Given the opposition they were facing, and the changes to the team, it is difficult to be too critical of a Scotland side who have revitalised a nation with a sensational Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
But the question now is: What’s next for this team? Friendlies against England and France, either side of last week’s qualifier against Spain, were set up to test Clarke’s side against the best.
The result has been three straight defeats – Scotland’s worst run since the early days of Clarke in 2019 – but the losses should come as no great shock.
Given the calibre of opposition Clarke’s men will need to get the better of if they are to make a mark in Germany next summer, these experiences should only benefit this team.
What’s next?
Scotland return to action next month as they conclude their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with the hope of topping their group.
First up is a trip to Georgia on 16 November before Norway travel to Glasgow three days later.
