Thauvin ruled out of France’s friendly game against Russia

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PARIS (AP) France winger Florian Thauvin has been ruled out of the team's friendly against Russia because of a hamstring injury.

The French soccer federation says the Marseille player did not travel with his teammates to St. Petersburg, where France will take on the World Cup hosts on Tuesday.

France coach Didier Deschamps will not call up a replacement for Thauvin, who underwent an MRI scan which revealed the injury in his left thigh.

France, the runner-up at the 2016 European Championship, is looking for some defensive improvement against the Russians after falling to a 3-2 home loss to Colombia over the weekend.