{mosimage}"Unfortunately, our team did not play 100 percent today and our goalkeeper was the weakest unit," Georgia coach Klaus Toppmoeller said.

"After two goals in the first 20 minutes and a silly third one, there was little the team could do."

Georgia started with some strong challenges, but France scored on its first attack in the seventh minute when Ribery skipped down the right and passed to Malouda.{mosimage}

Malouda took one touch to aim, and then fired a low shot into the bottom right corner from 22 meters  for his third goal in 22 internationals.

Vieira almost doubled the lead in the 14th minute after Thierry Henry powered down the left and found him lurking inside the penalty area, but Vieira's shot was blocked.

Ribery's direct running was causing panic in the Georgia defense, and his pass split it open in the 16th, allowing Saha to run through and clip the ball past goalkeeper Grigol Chanturia and in off the post.

{mosimage}William Gallas then went close with a curling shot over the crossbar as France pushed forward. But in the 26th, Gallas scampered back to tackle Shota Arveladze as he prepared to shoot.

Defender Malkhaz Asatiani scored an own-goal in the 46th, volleying Willy Sagnol's pass over the head of goalkeeper Grigol Chanturia. 

France goalkeeper Gregory Coupet's brilliant reflex save kept out Georgy Demetradze's shot.

Chanturia saved a shot from Malouda in the 56th as France pressed for more goals. Henry tried his luck with two free kicks, but failed to hit the target, and a heavy first touch in the 66th meant he was unable to control Saha's clever headed flick. {mosimage}

87th minute Demetradze hits the crossbar on free-kick.

"We played really well defensively and we scored when we needed to score," said Henry.

"We know this type of match is never easy," France coach Raymond Domenech said. "Georgia is a good team, we did not take this match lightly," he added. "The fact we played well in the first half shows how much we respected the team in front of us."

Lineups:                                          

{mosimage}Georgia: Grigol Chanturia; Kakha Aladashvili, (Ilya Kandelaki, 37th),Zurab Khizanishvili   Malkhaz Asatiani; Gogita Gogua, Dzhaba Kankava, Levan Kobiashvili (captain), David Mudzhiri (Zurab Menteshasvili, 82); Georgy Demetradze, Alexander Iashvili, (David Kvirkvelia 45th) Shota Arveladze.

{mosimage}France: Gregory Coupet; Willy Sagnol, Lilian Thuram, William Gallas, Eric Abidal; Florent Malouda, Patrick Vieira (captain), Claude Makelele (Rio-Antonio Mavuba, 58), Franck Ribery (Sidney Govou, 69); Thierry Henry, Louis Saha (Sylvain Wiltord, 86).