A reaction was expected in Bordeaux to end 2026 on a positive note. At half-time, the scoreboard remains blank.
Kylian Mbappé seemed to have the bit between his teeth. His goal, scored in the 39th minute, was not allowed.
The goalless score preserves, for now, what matters most. Second in their group, the Blues still have their fate in their own hands and will secure their ticket to the quarterfinals if they are not defeated.
The Blues must first lift their heads. Three days earlier, they suffered their first defeat under their new head coach, on Italy's turf.
Winners of the first leg in Izmit in late September, they are aiming for another success in a high-stakes match.
Already eliminated even before the final matchday, Turkey is the least formidable team in the group. On paper, it appears to be the ideal opponent for ending the year well.
The pre-match set the tone. The Turkish anthem preceded a Marseillaise taken up by 42,000 people, then an AC/DC track intended to electrify the atmosphere further.
From the kickoff, the Blues took control of the ball and settled in the Turkish half.
Opposite them, the Turks, unsurprisingly, looked very compact in their final 30 meters.
One last success remains in their sights to finish the year on top. The second half will tell whether the Blues convert their control of the game and the fate they still hold in their own hands.