33' It's nine shots to Finland's two so far, but France are only edging this one with the ball at their feet, with 55 per cent of possession so far. All it will take is for Les Bleus to stumble once at the back.
31' A looping cross allows Dubois to fire a close-range effort out for a corner through a deflection - and Hradecky gambles well to clear it with a sonic boom of a punch a moment later.
29' A deflected shot from Pogba keeps the energy levels high in this contest, and France continue to attempt to prise Finland's back-line open. This is the sort of contest September rarely serves up - enjoy it while it lasts!
27' Performances like this - even in defeat - are still vital for Finland though, as they chase this game now. They don't want to be the scrappy underdogs after Euro 2020 - and this corrects such narratives with accomplished stretches of football.
24' This really is a pendulum of an encounter. It swings for France again and Finland employ some well-timed dark arts in the box to hold off the swagger of the hosts.
23' Out of nowhere, Benzema forces a save! France break hard and fast, and down the other end, Finland can barely hold the counter off. The Real Madrid man is teed up and Hradecky makes a superb stop.
21' Finland are looking much more assured of their place in this match now. They continue pepper the final third with crosses, and France continue to repel - though with increasing discomfort to a point.
19' A corner to Finland comes after Nissila sees a speculative shot deflected. The visitors make the most of it, work it intelligently around the box and Vaisanen nudges an eventual header over.
17' Having been pressed over the rack in those exchanges, Finland are steadily growing into this one. Les Bleus match them, but the rapid force of those opening blows has subsided for now.
15' Pogba tries from long-range to no avail and then Finland display some shrewd passing to rack their possession up. France look a little more harried without the ball at their feet.
13' A brief flash of ball down the opposite end of the field gives Finland something to cheer about but the hackles are up from the home crowd. France let their foot off the pedal for a moment now.
11' Hernandez! France go the closest they've been so far through the man making his senior debut today. The AC Milan star lashes an effort from outside the box, just hooked wide of the right post.
10' There was an early corner for the visitors before this onslaught built but it feels merely academic right now. Another now allows Martial to tease himself back in; Finland clear for a fifth in a row.
8' That lone Finland spell down the other end in the opening minutes feels like a false dawn. France drive hard on the left flank again and win another corner, flashed away with fidgety nerve.
6' Greizmann swings it in from the left flank and wins a return delivery from the right corner. This one is cleared only as far as the edge of the box before Hernandez concedes a foul with a shove.
5' France play immediate havoc, and Finland are hyper-wary to not bring down Benzema as he lurks around the visitors' box. A corner is the eventual result.
2' Early incursions from both sides pump the tempo up. There's already a sweltering, cauldron-like atmosphere in Lyon. This could be lively.
1' We are underway in this Qatar 2022 World Cup UEFA qualifier between France and Finland!
The national anthems have been concluded and we are moments away from kick-off.
The teams are poised to emerge in Lyon, ahead of the national anthems.
While France have played more qualification games than anyone else in their group so far, this is their first encounter with Finland on the road to Qatar. As it stands, they're their nearest rivals too - a shock win for the visitors would cut the gap to one point between them.
Subs: Tim Sparv, Pyry Soiri, Fredrik Jensen, Robert Ivanov, Jesse Joronen, Carljohan Eriksson, Marcus Forss, Onni Valakari, Jukka Raitala, Robert Taylor, Joona Toivio, Kaan Kairinen.
FINLAND (5-3-2): Lukas Hradecky; Nikolai Alho, Leo Vaisanen, Paulus Arajuuri, Daniel O'Shaughnessy, Jere Uronen; Urho Nissila, Rasmus Schuller, Glen Kamara; Joel Pohjanpalo, Teemu Pukki.
Subs: Steve Mandanda, Nordi Mukiele, Aurelien Tchouameni, Moussa Diaby, Clement Lenglet, Matteo Guendouzi, Jordan Veretout, Mike Maignan, Wissam Ben Yedder, Thomas Lemar, Lucas Digne.
FRANCE (3-4-3): Hugo Lloris; Kurt Zouma, Raphael Varane, Presnel Kimpembe; Leo Dubois, Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot, Theo Hernandez; Anthony Martial, Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema.
Finland conversely start less than a handful of players who ply their trade in Europe's top five leagues - but in Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, they do have a man who could make life difficult for their hosts today in Lyon.
On paper, it's no contest when it comes to quality. While the red card handed out to Jules Kounde against Bosnia means he is absent, it is still a formidable side fielded by Les Bleus, led by Antoine Griezmann up front as the striker begins his second life with Atletico Madrid.
Even if they remain top of the pile, the fact they have not won a game since their first match of this summer's tournament will give Markku Kanerva hopes of an upset. His side are in the frame to cause some problems here if they pull off an upset - but it will be a fantastic result if they do.
It's become a common occurrence for the incumbent World Cup holder to slip out early in their subsequent tournament - and Didier Deschamps will surely have his concerns here too. After a lacklustre Euro 2020, his side have won just two of their five Group D games so far. Are alarm bells ringing?
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the September international break as defending champions France host Finland in a Qatar 2022 World Cup UEFA qualifier, Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
