Laurent Koscielny played the full match for France as they beat Bulgaria 4-1 in their World Cup qualifying game.

France had an early fright when Bulgaria won a penalty after five minutes as Milanov twisted Bacary Sagna like he was a piece of cooked spaghetti, forcing the former Arsenal defender to bring him down. Aleksandrov stepped up to give the visitors the lead, but it was one they would hold for only 17 minutes.

Sagna, perhaps eager to make up for his earlier error, burst down the flank and then delivered the perfect cross for Gameiro to draw the sides level. Three minutes later they had the lead through a Dimitri Payet’s ‘corridor of uncertainty’ cross that missed Antoine Griezmann’s head by less than a millimetre to sail into the back of the net.

Griezmann got himself on the scoresheet before the half was out, driving low past the flailing Bulgarian keeper. Gamerio made it four with his second mid-way through the second half.

For Kos, it was a relatively quiet game, one that asked little and took less.

That’s the kind of international we like.