Deschamps savours French bliss

Les Bleus top Group I ahead of world and European champion Spain after the 3-1 win at Stade de France, which came four days after they opened their account with a 1-0 win over Finland.

All the goals arrived in the second half, with France taking a 2-0 lead thanks to maiden international strikes by both Etienne Capoue and Christophe Jallet.

Anton Putsila gave Belarus hope when he slotted home on the rebound after Sergey Kornilenko saw a 72nd-minute penalty saved by Hugo Lloris, but Franck Ribery settled any nerves in the home camp with France's third 10 minutes from the end.

"It's always a very good night when you win," said Deschamps, who took charge of the national team after Laurent Blanc's departure after EURO 2012.

"It's becoming harder and harder to score three goals at the highest level, so you have to savour it. It's mission accomplished so far: taking six points from two games is the ideal start, and we've pulled it off.

"The mighty Spain side only won 1-0 in Georgia; it's tough for everybody.

"We must savour these six points, which are a just reward for the lads' fighting spirit.

"We're stringing the results together. Playing at the Stade de France isn't easy, but the team's guiding principles got us through.

"The lads are committed to working hard as a team and that's where our consistency comes from."

Deschamps' faith in Capoue and Jallet also paid off in spades as the duo both found the net in only their second appearance for the national team.

"I'm really proud to have scored for France," said Toulouse midfielder Capoue.

"On top of that, it did us a lot of good because Belarus were starting to up the pressure. But we didn't panic because we knew we would find a chink in their armour.

"My time with Les Bleus has started very well and when you reach the pinnacle, you want to stay there."."

Jallet, meanwhile, scored the goal of the night with an emphatic finish from an acute angle - although he admitted that his intention was to cross the ball rather than go for goal.

"That's the kind of goal you'll tell your grandkids about," said the Paris St Germain defender.

"It's an amazing feeling, even though the goal kind of came out of nowhere. It's a very personal yet magnificent moment, and I have to make the most of it even though there's never much time before you have to focus on your next objective.

"I wanted to cross the ball, but fortunately the ball decided on its own course.

"I'm not a striker, so I'm not used to these moments."