Florian Thauvin admitted he was struggling to come to terms with the scale of his France comeback, having scored 70 seconds into his first international appearance since 2019.

Thauvin replaced Kylian Mbappe as an 83rd-minute substitute during Friday's World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan.

Les Bleus were 2-0 up at that point, but a concerned hush descended upon the Parc des Princes when Mbappe hobbled off with an ankle injury, having also limped out of Real Madrid's win over Villarreal just six days ago.

But Thauvin gave those supporters another moment to cheer just 70 seconds after stepping off the bench, as he took a touch from Theo Hernandez's left-wing cross before sending an acrobatic effort into the far corner.

That ensured Thauvin had scored in back-to-back appearances for his country, though a gap of six years and three months separated those outings.

He last played for France on June 11, 2019, scoring the third goal for Didier Deschamps' side in a 4-0 win over Andorra, in a behind-closed-doors Euro 2020 qualifier.

Speaking to TF1 after full-time, a disbelieving Thauvin said: "It's incredible! It's a dream, I'm having a bit of trouble coming back to earth! 

"It's a great satisfaction, a source of pride. Playing for France is something that is close to my heart."

Thauvin was playing for Marseille when he last scored for his country. During his wait to return to the international fold, he has spent 18 months with Mexican side Tigres UANL and two and a half years in Serie A with Udinese, before joining Lens in August.

"A comeback like this is extraordinary. The psychological work was done before going onto the field, because the last few years were difficult for me," he said.

"I worked a lot, never gave up. I told myself that if I had a few minutes, I would give it my all. 

"I have good stats because in the last two caps, I have two goals! It's very moving. It was a long-awaited return; it's a great life lesson."