Thierry Henry’s France U21s put on a show in his first game in charge, with young star Elye Wahi scoring twice in the 4-1 win over Denmark
- France Under-21 has a new boss in the form of Arsenal chief Thierry Henry
- This was a routine win, Henry’s favored 4-3-2-1 system being a resounding success
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Thierry Henry marked his first game as France Under-21 leader with a comprehensive 4–1 victory over Denmark.
The managerial career of the former Arsenal and Barcelona striker had been much talked about so far, with mixed reviews from Monaco and Montreal Impact.
However, the 46-year-old made a statement on his start with France’s next generation, with young striker Elye Wahi bagging a brace.
Henry laid out his plan early on, opting for a 4-2-3-1 system with PSG midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery captaining the U21. At 17 years and 183 days, Zaire-Emery becomes the youngest France U21 captain in 30 years.
Despite a slow start for some of his players, Henry kept the smile he wore in recent days and was beaming after 22 minutes as Johann Lepenant, playing on the left, put France ahead with a superb curling shot from outside the box. with his right foot.
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From there, Henry urged his players to keep their foot on the accelerator and minutes later it was 2-0 as Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, the playmaker who is the jewel in the crown for this U21 line-up, converted.
France’s momentum showed no sign of weakening in the second half and Elye Wahi, coming off the bench, scored a brace to make sure it was his name on Henry’s mind.
On his first goal, he cleverly took advantage of a naive Danish defense and finished with a half-volley.
Wahi’s second goal, which came in the 90th minute, came on the counter as Denmark chased the game, and the only irritation for his boss must have been the clean sheet in the 84th minute.
Christian Rasmussen benefited the most from some slack French defensive generosity from the French.
This is the result Henry hopes to build on as he searches for a home where he can nurture young talents just like he was back then. This feels like just that job.