Despite having home advantage at Stuttgart’s MHP Arena, Germany failed to capitalise and suffered a 2-0 defeat to France in the UEFA Nations League third-place match. Kylian Mbappé led the charge for the French with a goal and an assist, ending his scoring drought against Germany and earning Man of the Match honours.
Mbappé Breaks the Curse with Goal and Assist
France was efficient, Germany was wasteful, that’s the story of the night. Although the hosts fired 20 shots throughout the match, they failed to convert even one. France, meanwhile, had 19 attempts but made their chances count, largely thanks to the brilliance of Mbappé.
After failing to score in five previous appearances against Germany, Mbappé finally found the net just before halftime, calmly finishing in the 45th minute to give France a 1-0 lead. In the 84th minute, he turned provider with a selfless assist for Michael Olise, sealing the win and France’s third-place finish in this year’s tournament.
Germany Left to Rue Missed Chances
Germany’s performance wasn’t short on attacking intent. In the opening six minutes alone, they had three golden opportunities through Waldemar Anton, Niclas Füllkrug, and Karim Adeyemi. However, all efforts were either too tame or denied by French goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Head coach Julian Nagelsmann expressed frustration after the game:
“From the chances we created and the way we controlled large parts of the game, this defeat is very unfair. France didn’t deserve to win. We failed to finish, and in the end, that’s what counts.”
Midfielder Joshua Kimmich echoed his coach’s sentiment, saying:
“We should’ve been 3-0 up within six minutes. Instead, we went into the break a goal down. We lost our patience and made too many mistakes. Honestly, France didn’t even look like they wanted to win early on, but they got the job done.”
Historic Night for Mbappé
With his goal tonight, Mbappé reached a new milestone: 50 goals for the French national team, making him the youngest player to hit that mark at just 26 years and 5 months. He also did it in record time, needing only 90 matches.
This landmark puts him just one goal behind Thierry Henry (51) and seven away from Olivier Giroud (57), the all-time top scorer for France. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before Mbappé tops the list.
On the Ballon d’Or: “It’s Out of My Hands”
When asked about his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or, the French captain responded with characteristic humility:
“The only award I can truly influence is the Golden Boot, which is based on how many goals I score. The Ballon d’Or? That’s not really in my control.”
With Real Madrid enduring a trophyless season, even Mbappé seems to have set his sights beyond individual accolades, focusing instead on team success and continued excellence on the pitch.
France may not have made the Nations League final, but they finished strong thanks to a world-class performance from Mbappé. Germany, on the other hand, is left with more questions than answers as it continues to struggle in crucial moments. As the road to the 2026 World Cup continues, both teams have clear takeaways. For France, it’s the rise of an all-time great; for Germany, it’s time to fix their finishing before it costs them again.
