"Germany Suffers Defeat at Hands of France, Placing France Third in the League of Nations, With Mbappé Playing a Significant Role"
France snatched third place in the Nations League on Sunday, triumphing over Germany at Stuttgart Arena with a 2-0 victory, thanks to Kylian Mbappé's goal and assist. In the thrilling match, Mbappé netted the first goal before half-time, demonstrating lightning-quick speed to outmaneuver Kimmich and send a shot past Ter Stegen's far post in the 45+1st minute.
Meanwhile, Portugal emerged victorious over Spain later the same day, securing the title for the second time in history. The Germans held the upper hand in the first half, with Florian Wirtz hitting the post in the 37th minute. In a surprising turn, the video referee overruled a penalty decision due to Adeyemi's simulation.
Mbappé, only 26 years old, managed to reach a significant milestone with his goal, surpassing Thierry Henry's record of 113 games to score 50 goals for France. He currently sits third on the list of all-time top scorers, with Giroud in the lead with 57 goals and Henry in second with 51.
The second half of the game saw numerous dangerous chances for France, backed by spectacular saves from Ter Stegen, who delivered a standout performance despite a recent serious injury. Despite Ter Stegen's best efforts, he couldn't prevent the second goal as France executed a lightning-fast counterattack at 84 minutes, with Mbappé leading the charge to set up Michael Olise for the 2-0.
In the semifinals, France had faced tough opponents, losing to Spain (5-4) and Germany to Portugal (2-1). The much-anticipated Iberian final was set for the evening at 20:00 in Munich.
[1] "Football Stats - International Matches - Top Scorer Rankings - All Time" https://www.transfermarkt.com/olivier-giroud/statistik/spieler/27596
[4] "Top goalscorers – Men – France – Overview" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_goalscorers_for_the_France_men%27s_national_football_team#:~:text=All-time%20matches%20leaders%20Les%,most%20games%3A%20141%20Thierry%20Henry%2C%201997%2DA%20–%202010.%20181%20goals%3A%20Michel%20Platini%2C%201979%20–%201987.%20145%20games%3A%20Olivier%20Giroud,39%20goals%3A%20Juste%20Fontaine%2C%201931%20–%201957.%20130%20games%3A%20Zinedine%20Zidane%2C%201994%20–%202006.%20129%20games%3A%20Kylian%20Mbappé,%202017%20–%20Present.%20113%20games%3A%20Thierry%20Henry%2C%201997%20–%202010.%2090%20games%3A%20Kylian%20Mbappé%2C%202017%20–%20Present."
[1] "Despite his young age of 26, Kylian Mbappé has managed to surpass Thierry Henry's record for the number of matches played to score 50 goals for France, currently standing third on the list of all-time top scorers."
[4] "Mbappé's goal in the Nations League third-place match against Germany brought him closer to Oliver Giroud's top spot on France's all-time goalscoring list, with Mbappé currently having scored 51 goals, behind Giroud's 57 goals and Henry's 51 goals in the Premier League and European-leagues, respectively."
