France Secure Third Place in UEFA Nations League with 2–0 Win Over Germany
France claimed the bronze medal in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League after a confident 2–0 victory over hosts Germany in Stuttgart on Sunday.
The first half saw Germany dominate possession and create the better chances, but Mike Maignan delivered a world-class performance between the posts for Les Bleus. The Chelsea-bound keeper denied early efforts from Nick Woltemade and Karim Adeyemi, before Florian Wirtz struck the woodwork with a powerful drive.
Then came a moment of pure brilliance. On the stroke of halftime, Kylian Mbappé reminded the footballing world why he remains one of the game’s deadliest forwards. Receiving the ball inside the box, he danced past his marker with a signature feint and curled a sublime finish into the far corner. 1–0 to France.
Early in the second half, Deniz Undav thought he had pulled Germany level, but his strike was ruled out for a foul in the build-up. Moments later, Marcus Thuram rattled the post before forcing a stunning save from Marc-André ter Stegen in the 70th minute. The Barcelona keeper was again called into action twice more, denying Mbappé in rapid succession as the French pressed for a second goal.
But there was no stopping France’s captain in the closing stages. In the 84th minute, a defensive error from Robin Koch allowed Mbappé to break through on goal alongside Michael Olise. Unselfishly, Mbappé squared the ball to his teammate, who tapped into an empty net to seal the win: 2–0 France.
Nations League 2024-2025
Germany - France 0:2 (0:1)
Goals: Mbappé, 45 (0:1); Olise, 84 (0:2)
Germany: ter Stegen; Koch; Tah J.; Groß (Kehrer, 73); Kimmich; Goretzka (Bischof T., 65); Wirtz; Raum D. (Mittelstädt, 65); Fuellkrug; Woltemade (Undav, 46); Adeyemi K. (Gnabry, 78)
Bench: Baumann; Nübel; Anton; Gosens; Nmecha F.; Sane L.; Andrich; Pavlovic Al.
Yellow Cards: Raum D. 29; Adeyemi K. 35; Tah J. 61
France: Maignan; Digne; Badé L.; Gusto; Lucas Hernandez; Tchouaméni (Kone Ko., 68); Rabiot; Cherki (Olise, 68); Thuram M. (Guendouzi, 90); Mbappé; Kolo Muani (Doue D., 68)
Bench: Samba B.; Chevalier L.; Pavard; Konate; Kalulu; Theo Hernández; Zaire-Emery
Yellow Cards: Digne 12; Lucas Hernandez 61
