France Secure Nations League Bronze as Mbappe Hits 50
Kylian Mbappe scored his 50th goal for France as Les Bleus sealed third place in the UEFA Nations League with a 2-0 win over Germany in Stuttgart.
The French captain broke the deadlock just before half-time, latching onto a clever pass from Aurelien Tchouameni before calmly slotting past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Germany pushed for a response after the break but were denied by both the woodwork and a series of VAR interventions. Karim Adeyemi thought he had won a penalty, only for the decision to be overturned with the forward booked for simulation. Moments later, Deniz Undav had an equaliser chalked off due to a foul by Niclas Fullkrug in the build-up.
France rode their luck at times. Florian Wirtz struck the post and Mike Maignan made a string of saves, including three from Adeyemi. But the hosts were punished late on when Mbappe pounced on a loose ball, surged forward and squared for Michael Olise to tap home the second with six minutes remaining.
Marcus Thuram also hit the post as France threatened a third, and Mbappe himself came close on multiple occasions.
It was a strong response from Didier Deschamps' side after their dramatic semi-final loss to Spain, while Germany's winless run stretches to three matches. Julian Nagelsmann's side now look ahead to regrouping before the next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Later today at 8 p.m., Spain and Portugal go head-to-head in Munich to decide the winner of this year's Nations League. Tags: FranceGermanyKylian MbappeUEFA Nations League
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