UEFA Nations League: France Comeback Falls Short Against Spain

It was a disastrous start for France, who had Adrien Rabiot, Ousmane Dembélé, and Désiré Doué in their starting 11. Spain recorded two goals in the first half, taking a 2-0 lead into halftime.

Nico Williams and Mikel Merino scored in the 22nd and 25th minute, so Didier Deschamps and his team were in a significant hole midway through the first 45 minutes.

Coming out of the halftime break, France found their scoring boots, but again, it was Spain scoring. It was a pair of Barcelona players who scored in the final 45 minutes with Lamine Yamal and Pedri extending Spain’s lead to 4-0.

Former Paris Saint-Germain and current Real Madrid standout Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring on a penalty kick to kickstart France’s goal-scoring in the 59th minute. The positive momentum didn’t last long as Yamal scored in the 67th minute to push the lead to 5-1, but France didn’t go down quietly.

Olympique Lyonnais’ Rayan Cherki came off the bench in the 63rd minute and scored his first-ever goal for the senior team. The OL standout was found at the edge of the box, controlled the ball in the air, and fired a volley into Unai Simón’s top corner.

France also received luck with their comeback attempt as Dani Vivian recorded an own goal to make it a two-goal match. Randal Kolo Muani, who is on loan at Juventus from PSG, recorded a fourth goal for France off a perfect cross from Cherki to the back post for a powerful header.

Despite their efforts, France’s comeback fell short as Spain held on to the 5-4 win. After the match, Deschamps shared his thoughts on the loss.

“It’s a mix of emotions. At the end of the first half, being down 2-0 felt harsh because we had a lot of chances. We were trailing 5-1, but we didn’t give up. It’s not all negative—we did a lot of good things. We had better control than this Spain team. If we conceded five goals, it means we can do better defensively, but it’s frustrating. As soon as they get a chance, they’re often very clinical.”

The Stat: 38

After Spain's win over France, Fabián Ruiz (26 wins, 12 draws) became the first player in history to go unbeaten in his first 38 matches with Spain, surpassing Julen Guerrero (37).

Photo credit: @FrenchTeam