FRANCE 4 : 5 SPAIN
UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL
So the UEFA Nations League semi final just ended with Spain taking the win and defeating France with a scoreline of 5-4. Lamine Yamal scored a brace and had a great match, Nico Williams, Mikel Merino and Pedri were other players who were on the scoresheet for Spain.
On the other hand Kyllian Mbappe, Rayan Cherki and Randal Kolo Muani scored goals for France, Daniel Vivian scored an own goal.
That was a fantastic game , so entertaining.
If I am being completely honest, I expected Spain to win, but never thought we would have such a wild game. I thought it will be a close game with probably 2-1 kind of a scoreline like we saw in the Euros, but oh boy that was a goal fest.
After the first half ended I thought the way Spain are playing they will probably score one or two more and put the game to bed, that was what was happening, second half started, Yamal won a penalty(it had to be Rabiot there lol) and I was suprised he was taking it nonetheless he scored then Pedri made it 4-0. Mbappe did pull one back by scoring a penalty himself, but not long after that Yamal scored another goal to make it 5-1. It was game over or so I thought, suddenly France made a couple of substitutions(about which we will talk) and they scored one then another and then one more and oh my God we were all on the edge of our seats weren't we.
But ultimately Spain were able to win it.
From my perspective, France could not make the most out of some of their attacks, especially in first half but in second half as well.
If we talk stats, both teams outperformed their Xg(Expected goals), Spain had Xg of 2.91 and France had Xg of 2.78.
Spain had 8 shots on target and 5 big chances while France had 9 shots on target and 4 big chances, the ball possession was 43 to 57 in favour of France.
Now why I say that France could have made more of their attacks is because there were certain opportunities which they could have and should have finished.
For example, in the second half there were two occasions where a French player squared the ball towards the far post where a player would be inches away, there was a chance that Kolo Muani got where he should have tested the keeper atleast, you have to do better on these types of situations especially against a team like Spain.
I also honestly think that Mike Maignan could have saved one of those goals.
I felt like their defense was just not good enough, they left spaces in behind and just looked lacklustre against that scintillating Spanish attack.
Desire Doue did not have the best game of his life, I mean he did not have the kind of impact he had in the Champions League final.
Adrien Rabiot, in my opinion had a tough game as well in that midfield, he also conceded a penalty,which Lamine Yamal converted into a goal
But later, Barcola and Rayan Cherki came in who were really impactful, especially Rayan Cherki, what a player he is just so good technically and is a joy to watch, he got a goal and an assist .Man City are going to have an incredible player if they get him. He just injected some life into that team and he was a fantastic support to Mbappe in attack, who was also very much involved in the game.
Barcola as well came on did well on that wing, extremely fast and rapid.
Now lets talk about Spain for a bit.
The talent that they have in the squad is absolutely insane. the average age of that starting line up was 25, that means they are a very young team, credit should go to Luis De La Fuente as well, they are on a 19 match unbeaten run under him.
Spain were absolutely dominant for most part of the game. I just do not have words to praise Lamine Yamal, just how incredible he is and he is just 17, what a talent, brace against France in a semi-final, insane player. Also he was constantly tracking back helping Pedro Porro defensively, so his work rate is also pretty good. Deserving man of the match, no doubt about it
There was a moment in the match where Hujsen scored a goal, but it as ruled offside, but that was a beautiful play as well.
Another player who had an awsome game was Mikel Merino, he was just able to do everything.
Merino was the most fouled player on the pitch and won the most number of duels in the match- 14.
Then we have also have Nico Williams, who is just so good in that Spain jersey(not that he is bad for Athletic Club), every time he gets that Red jersey on him he looks an absolute beast.
We also have to praise Mikel Oyarzabal, he perfectly fits the role that Luis De la Fuente has given to him and he is just so good at it, his hold up play today was also brilliant.
Also, Pedri is just class apart, he is just so good, definitely one of the best midfielders in the world, when Pedri was substituted, Spain kind of started loosing control of the midfield, they also started loosing the control of their defense when Vivian came on for Le Normand, and Cherki started creating a lot of problems for them.
Overall it was a very fun and entertaining watch, now I am really looking forward to the final, however I do consider Spain as favourites going into this match but I will not overlook and underestimate the talent and the squad that Portugal have.
We will have some pretty interesting battles in that game,
Pedri vs Vitinha(if he starts) will be so good, Nuno Mendes vs Lamine Yamal will also be good to watch.
I am really curious to see how Roberto Martinez approaches this game, will he try to play proactively or pragmatically. So yeah, I will be eagerly waiting for Sunday.
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