France U21 became the latest side to qualify for the 2027 UEFA Euro Under-21 championship following their hard-fought 3-2 win over Luxembourg on Saturday.
Borussia Dortmund's Joane Gadou bagged his second appearance with the Little Blues here but it ended on a rather sour note for him, getting sent off in the second half of the match.
Gadou sees red for France
Having made an impressive start to life with Borussia Dortmund, Gadou earned his first call-up to France's Under-21 side by head coach Gérald Baticle. He made his debut against Estonia U21 on 29 September, completing full 90 minutes of their easy 2-0 win. It earned him another start against Luxembourg U21 on Saturday, and it was all going good once more until a mistimed challenge got himself sent off.
In the 50th minute of the clash, Gadou lost possession to Ivan Englaro and the Luxembourg player raced forward in transition with France U21 caught out at the back. In a desperate attempt to impede his movement, Gadou lunged at him and hacked him down in a clear foul, denying the player a clear opportunity at a goal. The referee didn't hesitate to brandish a red card and send him off.
The home side were reduced to 10-men with about 40 minutes still to play, and Gadou's horrible intervention nearly made them pay a big price as the Red Lions scored twice through Englaro to make it 2-2 and wipe out France's lead, although former Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel struck in the 76th minute to win it for the Little Blues.
Why it could be a blessing in disguise
Joane Gadou's red card could still be a blessing in disguise as France U21 have another match to come before wrapping up the international window. They host Switzerland U21 on Tuesday in their final qualifying fixture of Group C and Gadou will be suspended for it following for his red card.
From a Borussia Dortmund standpoint, it's a good thing as the defender will have a few extra days in hand to rest and recover before resuming club duties on Friday, when the BVB host Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga.
With Nico Schlotterbeck potentially out after injuring himself on duty with Germany and Filippo Mane still recovering from a muscle problem, Gadou could be needed for the clash and his availability will offer head coach Niko Kovac a selection boost.
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