World Cup hopefuls France got their preparations off to a bad start as they threw away a half-time lead to lose 2-1 against Ivory Coast in Nantes.

Manchester City midfielder Rayan Cherki opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time with a nice strike after weaving past a few defenders.

But Guela Doue levelled the game shortly after the break before Manchester United’s Amad Diallo stroked home the winner in the 84th minute to land a blow for Les Bleus ahead of heading to North America – and give a huge boost to Ivory Coast ahead of their campaign.

Cherki opens the scoring in style

Didier Deschamps’ side controlled much of the opening period and created the better chances, with Kylian Mbappe going close to moving level with Olivier Giroud’s all-time goalscoring record.

The France captain was denied from close range by Yahia Fofana, who produced a sharp early save to keep the visitors level.

Adrien Rabiot then fired narrowly over from distance as Les Bleus continued to dictate proceedings.

Michael Olise was the next to test Fofana after a slick attacking move, but the Ivory Coast goalkeeper remained equal to the task.

Ivory Coast offered occasional moments of threat, with Simon Adingra heading over before forcing Mike Maignan into action after capitalising on a loose pass from Aurélien Tchouameni.

France eventually made their pressure count on the stroke of half-time through Cherki.

The Manchester City midfielder danced through the Ivory Coast defence before firing a composed finish beyond Fofana to give the hosts a deserved lead.

France collapse in second half

Deschamps made five changes at the interval, including withdrawing Mbappe, but the alterations disrupted France’s rhythm.

Ivory Coast levelled eight minutes after the restart when Nicolas Pepe slipped Guela Doue through on goal and the Strasbourg defender finished confidently past Maignan.