France secure third place in UEFA Nations League
Goals from captain Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise earned France a 2-0 victory over Germany in Stuttgart on Sunday, a success that means they finish third in this season's Nations League.
Hosts of the Nations League finals, Germany were looking to bounce back from defeat in the last four against Portugal but fell behind on the stroke of halftime after Mbappe controlled and finished well to score his 50th international goal.
Germany thought they had levelled through Deniz Undav early in the second half, but the VfB Stuttgart forward's finish was ruled out following a VAR review.
France did, however, remain in control and should have made the result more comfortable before Mbappe squared for Olise late on to secure third spot, with Iberian neighbours Portugal and Spain facing off in the final later on Sunday.
Cristiano Ronaldo's winner ensured Germany tasted defeat for the first time since last year's European Championship on Wednesday.
They did start well against a France team who were beaten in a thrilling semi-final by Spain, with Florian Wirtz seeing one first-half slotted effort clip the post.
Mbappe, however, made no mistake after collecting Aurelien Tchouameni's long pass. The 26-year-old now sits just one goal behind second-placed Thierry Henry in France's all-time top goalscoring charts.
Undav's fine finish seemingly restored parity early in the second half, but Niclas Fuellkrug was penalised for a foul in the build-up.
Had it not been for Manuel Neuer and the woodwork, France would have been out of sight long before Bayern Munich's Olise tapped home to secure victory that ends their season on a high.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
8 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Tuchel runs into early problems as Senegal stun faltering England
Hired amid skepticism because of his nationality, German coach Thomas Tuchel was brought in as England manager to get the national team from soccer's birthplace 'over the line' at a World Cup for the first time since 1966. One year out from the 2026 tournament in North America and Tuchel has already run into problems - and is feeling the wrath of England's fans, too. The 3-1 loss to Senegal at home in a friendly match on Tuesday brought a crashing end to Tuchel's honeymoon period that was already tottering after England could only eke out a feeble 1-0 win over 173rd-ranked Andorra four days earlier. Boos rang out as Tuchel and England's players left the field at the City Ground in Nottingham after losing to an African nation for the first time. Tuchel has coached some of the world's biggest clubs in Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Chelsea and was regarded, tactically, as a big step-up from predecessor Gareth Southgate. For many, Southgate lacked that magic touch to turn England into title-winners despite its deep runs at the past four major tournaments. These are early days - Tuchel only started the job in January - but England might even have regressed in its latest era under a foreign coach. Here's a look at the teething problems being encountered in Tuchel's tenure: While Southgate no doubt generated a great culture and atmosphere in the squad off the field, he was accused of being too pragmatic and lacking flexibility in his tactics on it. Tuchel was expected to be a huge upgrade in that respect but England doesn't yet have an identity under the German. England captain Harry Kane listed the ingredients his team were missing against Senegal - and there were plenty. 'With and without the ball, we aren't quite clicking,' said Kane, who opened the scoring. 'We aren't finding the right passes, the right tempo. In the one-vs.-ones, we're losing duels and that aggressive nature we've had. 'There are some ideas that are new and we have some new players coming into the team who haven't got experience at international level. It's a mixture of things.' Tuchel only has four more camps to get his ideas across ahead of the World Cup, should England qualify of course. The team won its opening three World Cup qualifiers - against Albania, Latvia and Andorra - and tops Group K with five matches to play from September to November. Some of Tuchel's early-tenure selections have raised eyebrows. He has brought former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, age 34 and most recently playing at Ajax, back into the squad because of his leadership qualities and to 'take care of all the standards in the group,' Tuchel said. But is Henderson good enough to still be in the team? He has persisted with right back Kyle Walker, who is aged 35, seemingly passed his best and most recently sent on loan to AC Milan where he has struggled to impress. Tuchel has the likes of Reece James and new Real Madrid player Trent Alexander-Arnold as alternatives but is preferring Walker, again talking about how the veteran is 'pushing the standards' in the camp. Some of his picks at center back - newcomers Trevoh Chalobah and Dan Burn among them - have also been scrutinized. While Southgate always shielded his players from criticism, Tuchel is more open and blunt with any negative analysis. Indeed, after the Andorra game where England toiled, Tuchel accused his players of lacking 'the seriousness and the urgency that is needed in a World Cup qualifier' and said he didn't like their attitude and body language. To many, it was fair comment but something England's players maybe hadn't been used to hearing from their coach. Will they take it the wrong way - and prefer Southgate's arm-round-the-shoulder approach? In defense of Tuchel, England's players were coming off long club seasons and might have switched off mentally before linking up with England for the Andorra and Senegal games. Tuchel also made 10 changes against Senegal and was clearly testing out some new players and tactical approaches. 'There is no need to panic,' he said 'We know more now. We are smarter ... I hate losses like nothing else but we don't go next week to the World Cup, we go in one year.' Agencies
The National
13 hours ago
- The National
Club World Cup: Al Ain carry UAE flag against Europe's elite with knowledge they have beaten Juventus before
While all the sides at the Fifa Club World Cup are – by dint of the fact they qualified in the first place – champions in their own right, some champions are more equal than others. Take Sunday's Group C opener between Bayern Munich and Auckland City FC. The forward line for the German giants will be led by the €95 million England captain Harry Kane, with an array of household name teammates beside him. By contrast, one of the main goal threats for their opposition is a refugee-turned-car mechanic who commutes 90 minutes each way to get to Auckland City's twice-weekly training sessions. That might be an extreme case. Not all disparities are quite so significant, but they do exist elsewhere in the competition, too. For the UAE's entrant, Al Ain, the opening two matches in particular, are the stuff of dreams: Juventus and Manchester City. The prospect of lining up against the gilded names of European football's elite might be simultaneously thrilling and daunting. But Al Ain have something to lean on from the past, which shows success is achievable. Beating Juventus? They have been there, done that, got the YouTube footage. There might be some cyber dust on it. But the grainy clip shows Mohammed Omar, the former UAE captain, rampaging past the Juventus defence and firing a shot past the great Gianluigi Buffon. It happened in the seventh minute of a mid-season friendly between Al Ain and Juventus in January 2003. And for the remainder of the game, the Marcelo Lippi-coached side of such stars as Pavel Nedved, Alessandro Del Piero, Edgar Davids, David Trezeguet and Antonio Conte could find no way past Al Ain. That might have predated the involvement of any of the current vintage. But the lessons of history have been passed down to Al Ain's Class of 2025. 'I think we have an opportunity to win against Juventus,' said Kaku, Al Ain's Paraguayan playmaker. 'Twenty years ago, Al Ain won against Juventus and I hope, again, we can take three points.' Al Ain's No 10 says there is no reason for the players to fear what they are going to be faced with when the competition starts. Rather, they should see it as an opportunity. 'When you play against big teams, your motivation is different,' Kaku said. 'The mentality of the team changes, and I think we have opportunities. For me, I have played against Brazil and Argentina, so I don't have to be scared about Juventus or City. I'm confident in myself.' It does stand to reason, though, that the players could be starry-eyed. For example, Park Yong-woo, Al Ain's South Korean midfielder, might conceivably take his autograph book to the City game, given his reverence of Pep Guardiola, the opposition manager. 'I love Guardiola,' Park said. 'I love his style, his philosophy. I love all of him. 'Maybe we will play all defenders against them! If we defend very well, then create two or three chances of our own, I believe we can score against them.' Al Ain are giants of UAE football, and have twice been Asia's best side. They took several significant scalps on their way to becoming the first Emirati participants in this new event. Their extraordinary journey to AFC Champions League glory last season included wins over the Al Nassr of Cristiano Ronaldo, and the Al Hilal of – the albeit injured – Neymar. In the final, they demolished a Yokohama F Marinos side who were coached by Harry Kewell, and not so long ago by Ange Postecoglou. They are no respecters of reputations. In fact, the bigger the names, generally the better they have performed. 'Last season, when we played big games we were different,' Park said. 'Our spirit was different, our attitude was different, and maybe at the Club World Cup we will be different, too. If we show our best, nobody knows what will happen.' They are going to need to revive the spirit of last season if they are to make a mark in the United States, as this campaign has been deeply troubled. Vladimir Ivic, who is overseeing their Club World Cup challenge, was Al Ain's third coach in a campaign in which their Champions League defence faltered without even a whimper. Hernan Crespo paid for a torrid start to the campaign as he was axed in November. Leonardo Jardim lasted 14 games before departing in February. Now Ivic has been tasked with raising the misfiring side. They finished fifth in the UAE Pro League, but Ivic was satisfied they have improved on his watch, and suggested they could have been as high as second if refereeing decisions hadn't counted against them. 'From the moment we started to play after Ramadan, we played good in all the games and we deserved to win the games,' Ivic said. 'It is frustrating. When you work, and you have players who fight, when you lose the game and it is not your fault, it is hard to take. 'I have seen the players adapt. They have had good performances and played good football, and created a lot of chances.' Ivic has coached in Greece, Israel and Russia, as well as briefly with Watford in England, before he arrived in the UAE. Such diverse experience will be useful given what lies ahead. The style of play his side will have to employ in the US will likely be a marked difference to how they play usually. As one of the dominant forces of the Pro League, with an enviable following, Al Ain are expected to be on the front foot, playing attacking football. Trying to do the same against the likes of Juve and City could be folly. 'It is a totally different competition,' Ivic said. 'We respect all of our opponents that we will face in our group. 'We will work and do our best to show our best face, and all of the players will be extra motivated. 'It is a World Cup. It is the best teams in the world. We believe we can show our best there and we will fight.'
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Khaleej Times
England 'not good enough', admits Kane after losing to Senegal
Captain Harry Kane said England must improve quickly if they are to contend for next year's World Cup after slumping to a 3-1 home friendly defeat by Senegal on Tuesday. A first ever defeat against African opposition has put England boss Thomas Tuchel under pressure just four games into his reign. After struggling past minnows Andorra 1-0 in World Cup qualifying on Saturday, Tuchel's 10 changes had little effect as Senegal ran out deserved winners in Nottingham thanks to goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly. "Not good enough. We had moments, but with and without the ball things aren't clicking, we're not finding the right tempo," said Kane, who opened the scoring with his 73rd international goal. "We've lost that aggressive nature that we had." Former Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain boss Tuchel was hired with the task of taking England one step further to major tournament glory after losing in the last two European Championship finals. Kane believes his side is going through a transition period since Gareth Southgate's departure after Euro 2024, but said there is little time to get things right with the World Cup now just a year away. "We're not going to panic but we know we need to be better," added the Bayern Munich striker. "New ideas, there's new players coming into the team that don't have experience at international level. It's a mixture of things but no excuses. "We need to find it quick, the World Cup is going to come around really fast so every camp is really important right now." England are at least in pole position to qualify having won all three of their qualifiers to date against Albania, Latvia and Andorra.
