Spain broke the deadlock in the 64th minute through Mike Oyarzabal before Karim Benzema equalized and then Kylian Mbappe netted the title-clinching goal for France in the 80th minute at the UEFA finals.
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Karim Benzema scored a sensational equalizer and Kylian Mbappe redeemed himself with a controversial winner as France beat Spain 2-1 to lift the UEFA Nations League trophy. Spain, who came into the final after an intriguing win against European champions Italy, broke the deadlock in the 64th minute through Mike Oyarzabal. But France leveled the score within two minutes through a brilliant curler from Benzema before Mbappe netted the title-clinching goal in the 80th minute.
Spain made two changes from their semi-final win over Italy, with Pau Torres and Koke replaced by Eric Garcia and Rodri, respectively. France also made two changes, with Adrien Rabiot coming out for Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield while Presnel Kimpepme replaced Lucas Hernandez in the back three.
The first half was a cagey affair as chances were few and far between. Early in the match Paul Pogba played a brilliant through ball to release Benzema but the Real Madrid forward’s cut back after beating Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon couldn’t find Mbappe in front of goal.
Last match’s hero for Spain, Ferran Torres who started on the right wing played in Pablo Sarabia to shoot at France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Meanwhile Mike Oyarzabal, who played as a false nine, initially struggled against the physicality of the French defence. Spain saw a penalty appeal for Jules Kounde’s handball inside the box rejected during an in-game VAR check.
Two minutes from break, Les Bleus suffered a huge blow as their central defender Raphael Varane was forced off with a thigh injury and Dayot Upamecano took his place.
Benjamin Pavard almost played in Mbappe with a through ball but Marcos Alonso made a crucial sliding interception. And then, after the hour mark, Theo Hernandez rattled the underside of the crossbar after being set up by Benzema. Meanwhile, immediately at the other end, Sergio Busquets played through Oyarzabal and the 24-year-old forward skipped past Upamecano before shooting past Lloris and into the far corner.
However, Spain’s celebrations were short lived as France equalized within two minutes of the goal. Benzema cut inside from the left and sent in a brilliant right-footed curler into the top corner of the Spanish goal.
Ten minutes from time, Theo Hernandez played in Mbappe with a brilliant through ball and the PSG striker kept his cool to drill the ball in after a couple of step overs. The goal turned out to be controversial as the 22-year-old appeared to be in an off-side position but the VAR allowed the goal to stand as the Spanish defender Eric Garcia made a faint touch on Hernandez’s pass.
It was a much needed goal for the youngster to rejuvenate himself as he had missed France’s penalty against Switzerland during their round of 16 stage exit at Euro 2020 this summer.
Spain desperately tried for the equalizer as Oyarzabal and Yeremi Pino tested Lloris with first time volley’s but France held firm to lift the trophy.
Spain manager Luis Enrique said “Irrespective of who we play against, or in what situation, we always try to play our way – with bravery, attacking with ambition. So tonight it’s not so much about the pain of defeat, it’s also about a tinge of sadness because we competed very well.”
France manager Didier Deschamps said “I’m very proud and very happy for the players. We went behind in both of the matches. Today we equalised quickly after going behind. Beyond the talent that we have in this team, there’s also their character and mentality, and I’m very proud of the players. We stopped playing after 20 minutes and you can’t do that against Spain. Our system, and the way we operate in it, still needs improvement. In the second half we were more aggressive and forced them into mistakes.”
