Blanc impressed by ruthless French

France coach Laurent Blanc hailed his side’s killer instinct after their 1-0 victory over 10-man Brazil on Wednesday.

A 55th-minute goal from Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema sealed the win for the hosts in Paris, with the dismissal of Brazilian midfielder Hernanes five minutes before the break proving a pivotal moment in the game.

Blanc, who has now recorded five successive wins as France manager, said he was pleased his side capitalised on their numerical advantage.

“Firstly we are happy about the result because when you prepare a match and you play it, it is to win it,” Blanc said.

“The fact that we played with 11 players against 10 made things certainly easier for us, but I liked what I saw.”

“Some things we didn’t manage, but the game play was there. We wanted to be as good as the Brazilian team circulating the ball and with possession of the ball so I think we can be satisfied with the game as a whole.”

“We saw that in the second half we had a better possession of the ball because 11 against 10 makes things easier.”

“The Brazilians are forced to play with only one player at the front and it makes them less dangerous and made things easier for us but it is still an important victory.”

Brazil coach Mario Menezes lamented Hernanes’ dismissal, labelling referee Wolfgang Stark’s decision to send the Lazio man off as severe.

“It is true that it was quite a hard tackle and I haven’t had the occasion to see it again but it is true that for a friendly this action was a bit harsh,” Menezes said.

“The player knows it – it’s not allowed, it’s not necessary. It’s Hernanes’ mistake, he didn’t see Benzema who was coming towards him relatively fast.”

Menezes added that he would stick with his youth policy as he attempts to rebuild the Brazil side after their quarter-final exit at the 2010 World Cup.

“I have no doubt about this strategy,” he said.

“It’s obvious that in a first phase we will be taking risks but it would be too easy for me to resort to players such as Kaka or Ronaldinho.”

“It would resolve some problems today but that’s not what we are looking for – we are looking towards the future.”