Spain vs France LIVE: Nations League result, final score and reaction tonight
Follow all the post-match fallout live from the San Siro in Milan
France won the second ever edition of the Nations League on Sunday evening, coming from behind to beat Spain 2-1 at the San Siro in Milan.
Following Portugal’s triumph against the Netherlands in the inaugural final of the competition in 2019, another heavyweight clash decided this year’s winners, and both the Spanish and French certainly earned their spots in the showpiece match. On Wednesday night, Spain ended the remarkable unbeaten run of European champions Italy for a 2-1 win to avenge their defeat in this summer’s Euro 2020 semi-finals, while France battled from two goals down to overcome Belgium 3-2 in the last minute on Thursday.
Didier Deschamps’ side had to produce another comeback here, too, with Oyarzabal opening the scoring for Spain in the 64th minute, just seconds after Theo Hernandez had hit the crossbar for Les Bleus. The end-to-end action immediately continued, with Karim Benzema curling a stunning finish past Unai Simon from the edge of the Spain box to draw France level. In the 80th minute, Kylian Mbappe sealed the victory for the reigning world champions, a VAR check ruling that the Paris Saint-Germain forward was not offside – despite what many observers thought.
Follow all the fallout from the 2021 Nations League final between Spain and France, below, and read the full match report here.
Spain vs France: Nations League final
France are heavily backed by a vocal travelling contingent at the San Siro and that helps add to their stirring rendition of La Marseillaise. Spain’s national anthem gets a good belting out, too.
Spain vs France: Nations League final
Former Portugal and Real Madrid star Luis Figo has brought the Nations League trophy out onto the side of the pitch at the San Siro, and he is soon followed by the two teams.
Kick off is five minutes away!
Spain vs France: Nations League final
This is the first competitive meeting between France and Spain since 2013, which was a 1-0 win for La Roja in a World Cup qualifying fixture. Spain have won five of the last seven matches between the teams - which is a reversal of the historical record between these two great football nations.
Spain vs France: Nations League final
Antoine Griezmann will become the ninth French player to reach 100 caps tonight, joining his manager Didier Deschamps, as well as Lilian Thuram, Hugo Lloris, Thierry Henry, Marcel Desailly, Olivier Giroud, Zinedine Zidane and Patrick Vieira.
Griezmann would also overtake Michel Platini and become France’s third highest scorer outright if he nets tonight.
“It’s going to be a special night,” he said. “It’s a game we have to win. There’s a trophy to win at the end so we will do everything to succeed. We have the right team to do it.
“Admittedly, a 100th appearance is always quite special. The club of players with 100 caps is a very select one so I’m very proud and hopefully the evening will end on a good note too.”
Spain vs France: Nations League final
Spain beating France to win the Nations League would take on extra significance for defender Aymeric Laporte. The Manchester City player chose to switch nationalities and represent La Roja before the Euros despite being born in France and playing over 50 times for Les Blues in the youth ranks.
Laporte qualified for Spanish citizenship as he moved to Spain in 2010 to join Athletic Bilbao’s academy, and was able to switch nationalities because he had yet to make a senior appearance for France, despite being called up to the senior squad on three occasions. The 27-year-old will face the country of his birth for the first time tonight.
“It will be a very special meeting for me but, as I have always said, I am very focused,” he said this week. “I am 100% or even 300% with Spain. I’ll give it my all. I will face former team-mates (from France’s youth teams) but the only thing I think about is winning this final, that’s the most important thing for me right now.”
Spain vs France: Nations League final
Here’s what the two teams are playing for tonight. France and Spain have won three World Cups and five European Championships between them, but this would be a first Nations League trophy for both and a chance to add another major honour to their respective trophy cabinets.
Spain vs France: Nations League final
Spain manager Luis Enrique: “Look at France’s squad, and their starting eleven; they play for top clubs and they are stand-out players: the best squad in the world. The three players they have up front [Mbappe, Benzema and Griezmann] are superb and capable of turning any game.
“But we won’t change anything about our attitude or our ideas. We played and beat the best team from the Euro and what better now than to play the reigning world champions?
“I want to win a national title with Spain, that’s something the majority of us have not done. A reminder of how it feels to win a tournament would be good for everyone involved.”
Spain vs France: Nations League final
France manager Didier Deschamps: “It's impossible to deprive Spain of the ball. It's in their DNA to have the majority of possession. You can press but not just any old how. They're capable of passing the ball out even under pressure. They also pressed Italy very well when they lost the ball.
“The best tonic is winning. The evening after the semi-final there was a lot of joy and happiness and it meant there was a lighter mood the next day. It gives everyone confidence.
“Spain have maintained the quality of their play. We have more experience but that gives us no guarantees. We'll need to have all the right ingredients in order to go out there and claim the trophy."
Spain vs France: Nations League final
France team: Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Kimpembe; Pavard, Tchouameni, Pogba, T Hernandez; Griezmann; Mbappe, Benzema
And two changes for Deschamps, too! Presnel Kimpembe starts ahead of Lucas Hernandez on the left of the back three, while 21-year-old midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni replaces Adrien Rabiot. Tchouameni made an impact in France’s second-half comeback as a substitute on Wednesday.
Spain vs France: Nations League final
Spain team: Simon; Azpilicueta, Garcia, Laporte, Alonso; Busquets, Rodri, Gavi, Sarabia, F Torres, Oyarzabal
Two changes for Luis Enrique, with Eric Garcia coming in for Pau Torres in defence and Rodri replacing Koke in midfield.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments