France coach Didier Deschamps has conceded that Belgium were the superior side in their friendly meeting on Sunday.
Marc Wilmots's side emerged 4-3 winners against Les Bleus in Paris, despite France making a spirited comeback after Belgium had raced into a three-goal lead.
Deschamps believes that the Belgians are delivering on their second-placed position in the FIFA world rankings.
"We were dominated physically by a side who gave their all. They were incredibly effective, scoring four goals from five shots on target. This is a competitive team," he told FIFA.com.
"They were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the World Cup finalists (Argentina). And before that, they had a very good qualifying campaign. Since that defeat, they have had seven wins and two draws. They are second in the FIFA standings - this is no accident.
"In the last three or four years, they have gone very, very well. They have important individuals. Offensively, they have a lot of weapons and experienced players. Most of their players play in (top) European clubs and leagues. Belgium is one of the best European and world nations."
France play Albania in their next friendly outing on Saturday.
Steven Toplis
