Raymond Domenech hailed his players' application after watching Les Bleus struggle to overcome Costa Rica on Wednesday night.

France toiled for much of the evening, falling behind to a Carlos Hernandez strike before battling back to win 2-1 with goals from Franck Ribery and debutant Mathieu Valbuena.

"The desire to win came at the conclusion of a week of work together," said Domenech, who also pointed to a spell of high-altitude training in Tignes as a factor for a jaded display. "It was not easy to prepare for an international match after Tignes but they confirmed what they wanted to do."