Spain vs. France
UEFA Nations League 2021: France Beat Spain in the Final to Become Champion
France won the second edition of the UEFA Nations League (2020-2021) by overcoming Spain 2-1 in the final. Spain could not have the last smile after playing fantastic football in the final and dominating ball possession for longer periods of time. On the contrary, France's counter-attacking style had caught the youthful Spanish team off guard. The French team was defeated by Switzerland in the round of 16 of EURO 2020. This victory will help them to move on from some of their past regrets. The match report of the UEFA Nations League 2021 final is discussed in this article.
Nations League Final Match Report: France vs. Spain
Kylian Mbappe's goal in the 80th minute of the match gave France's first-ever Nations League victory. Spain grabbed the lead in the 64th minute of the final match in Milan's iconic San Siro stadium.
Spanish striker Mikel Oyarzabal placed the ball into the bottom corner after receiving a long pass from Sergio Busquets. French defender Dayot Upamecano tried but failed to stop him in a one-on-one duel.
Read Argentina wins; Brazil draws in World Cup qualifiers
Following the goal, the French side responded immediately and took the lead within two minutes, thanks to a spectacular long-range strike from veteran forward Karim Benzema.
The Real Madrid striker received a through pass from Mbappe and went inside before firing a stunning shot towards the far right corner to level the score at 1-1 in the 66th minute.
Both teams tried to equalize after that, but it was Mbappe who scored in the 80th minute to give France the victory. He sprinted forward after catching a through pass from Hernandez and calmly placed the ball into the net.
Read: UEFA Nations League 2021: Semifinals Preview
Spain claimed Mbappe was offside when he got the ball, but a VAR assessment revealed a tiny contact from defender Eric Garcia. So, France's lead was maintained following this decision.
Match Stats: France vs. Spain
Overall, Spain had more ball control and executed with more efficiency than France. Spain dominated the game from the start, with 64% ball possession. They passed with an accuracy of 85%, compared to France's 78%.
3 years ago