Didier Deschamps has described France's defeat to Ukraine on Friday night as a "slap in the face" ahead of their second-leg clash on Tuesday.

Les Bleus were beaten 2-0 in Kiev last week in the first leg of their World Cup qualifying playoff.

No nation has ever overturned a two-goal deficit, but Deschamps is confident that France can become the first country to do so in Paris.

"The game in Kiev was a slap in the face for us but now we have a chance to turn things around," Deschamps told reporters. "The possibility is a real one. It doesn't matter if it's small, average or large. It will not be simple but we need to start the game with the right mentality.

"Technical quality makes the difference but if there's no intensity in terms of commitment, it becomes harder for that technical quality to shine through. We need to produce a top-level performance, an extraordinary one. Time is not on our side. We must put them under pressure, go looking to attack them.

"In the first leg, there was one team that played at a high level while we were ordinary, but the first person who believes is me. To achieve something out of the ordinary we need to believe it is possible."

Deschamps played in France's defeat to Bulgaria in 1993, which marked the last time they failed to qualify for a major tournament.

Written by
Matt Cotton