Ivory Coast stuns France with comeback victory in World Cup warmup

On a Thursday evening in Nantes, the Ivory Coast reminded the football world that pedigree is not destiny. Facing a heavily favored French side, the African nation absorbed an early blow and responded with two second-half goals to claim a 2-1 victory — a result that speaks less about a single friendly and more about the quiet confidence a team can carry into a tournament. As both nations prepare for the World Cup, one departs with questions, the other with something harder to quantify: belief.