Kylian Mbappé sinks Spain to clinch Nations League for France

10-Oct-2021 21:02:57 | The Guardian

Maybe this Nations League thing isn’t a bad idea after all. It may not be universally recognised as a real tournament, at least not yet, but it turns out that it’s a lot of fun. The final four brought three wild nights in Milan and champions who twice had to come from behind to lift a still unfamiliar trophy, not least because when it came to the moment that decided its destination, there in the madness was Kylian Mbappé, blood running cold. There too was Hugo Lloris, the man raising it to the sky.

A game of control and quality but few chances had gone crazy, exploding into life and suddenly wide open and that was where France found a way to win it. Having beaten Belgium 3-2 after trailing 2-0 in the semi-final, now they beat Spain having trailed 1-0. First Karim Benzema bent in an outrageous shot to equalise a minute after Mikel Oyarzabal had given Spain the lead and then Mbappé, clean through, coolly slid the ball under Unai Simón for the winner.