Spain 5-4 France: La Roja make it to Nations League final after nine-goal thriller | OneFootball

Spain defeated France 5-4 in the UEFA Nations League semi-final at the MHPArena in Stuttgart in a game that no one will forget in a hurry.

La Roja were 2-0 up at half-time with goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Merino and two more goals from Lamine Yamal and Pedri had seemingly put the game to bed in the 55th minute. However, the Spanish let the French back into the game with a penalty finished by Kylian Mbappé just minutes after.

A brilliant Yamal brace and a Rayan Cherki masterclass off the bench made the last 30 minutes of football impossible to keep your eyes off but, in the end, Spain’s early cushion was enough to win the game despite Les Blues’ late push.

As it happened

France should have taken the lead in the sixth minute after Merino lost possession on the half-way line to Ousmane Dembelé, who gave it to Mbappé and, uncharacteristically, he couldn’t finish as Unai Simón swept it away. It was an early insight into the contrasting playstyles, the French sitting back looking to win it high up and the Spanish having all the risky possession they needed.

Williams gave Spain the lead 21 minutes in with an emphatic finish. There will be no surprise that it began with Yamal on the right side, before he found Mikel Oyarzabal perfectly in the box. The Real Sociedad forward did excellently to hold the ball up and lightly touch it into Williams’ path to score.

Only three minutes later, Spain made it two. Once again, Oyarzabal played a crucial role as he played a sublime one-two with Merino to play it over French heads. The Arsenal midfielder had plenty of time to slot the ball past Mike Miagnan and double Spain’s lead. Stuttgart’s stadium saw a Merino circle around the corner flag for the third time in its history.

Simon made a number of impressive stops throughout to keep the French attacking powers out. One came from a Désiré Doué curled shot through a number of bodies, and the Spanish keeper produced a great reaction. Another was to stop Dembelé, who managed to put down Marc Cucurella before being met with the strong right hand of the Athletic Club goalkeeper.

The second half began with a bang, with France determined to score as both full-backs created chances from wide. However, no one was able to convert and they came to rue those missed efforts when Adrien Rabiot brought down Yamal in the box for a penalty. The starlet was unfazed by the pressure of taking it and sent Maignan the wrong way to score the third for La Roja.

Spain mirrored the first half with two goals in quick succession, this time with a move that Pedri started and finished. Collecting the ball from Oyarzabal into acres of space, he played it wide to Williams who returned the favour with a deft pass back. Pedri turned with the ball elegantly and had no issues making it 4-0.

At a moment where France looked down and out, Pedro Porro gave them a helping hand. The right-back made light contact with Mbappé and it was enough for a penalty which the Real Madrid striker slotted into the Spanish goal to make it 4-1.

Just when you thought the game had swung back France’s way, Porro was involved again but at the other end. He played a superb fast time pass to Yamal, who managed to get a scrappy shot away past the French keeper and put the ball in his net for the fifth time.

There was another twist in the tale that came from the French substitute Cherki. The attacking midfielder added another world class goal to the roster of great strikes on the night with an immensely technical volley from outside the box on his left-foot.

He was then involved again to bring France back to 5-3 when he played the ball in behind Cucurella to Malo Gusto. His cross was delivered with such pace that Daniel Vivian was unable to adjust in time before inadvertently hitting the ball into his own net. Both substitutes made their impact in opposing ways.

A very late goal from France made the dying minutes a nervy affair for the Spanish. Cherki showed his quality again with a looping cross towards the back post which was met by Randal Kolo Muani’s head to make it 5-4 in the 93rd minute.

The Spanish deservedly progressed into the final of the Nations League despite France’s second-half resurgence. They will face Portugal in the final on Sunday 8th June.

The lineups