When is spain vs france

Unlike against Belgium, this was a game largely being played in the right sort of spots for the French. Their midfield had moved further up the pitch, looking to constrict the supply lines to Busquets and Rodri.

Instead Luis Enrique's side would have to build their attacks out wide through Cesar Azpilicueta. The French back three were more than capable of dealing with crosses and pressure from wide, barring one dart infield from Ferran Torres in the 11th minute where he nearly slipped Pablo Sarabia in behind, there was precious little pressure on Lloris' goal.

The same was true at the other end in a first half that was absorbing rather than riven with the drama that the semifinals had offered. Much of France's best play came from Paul Pogba, a cut above the rest in the midfield duel. Early on a brilliant through pass unleashed Benzema who may have been sweating over a VAR intervention had a goal resulted from the move for what might have been the best opportunity of the half, the Real Madrid striker rounding Unai Simon but picking out Azpilicueta rather than Mbappe.

His pirouettes and darts through the heart of the pitch invariably looked to be through the Manchester United midfielder. He was not alone in looking a cut above the player he had been in the first half a few days ago. Didier Deschamps may have made just two changes to the side but they looked to have a clear tactical plan beyond just sitting deep.

The front three pressed to force Spain out wide whilst Aurelien Tchouameni seemed to be a better foil for Pogba with and without the ball. The issue was rather that pitting a more organized France against a Spain side that Luis Enrique invariably drills in great detail rather forced a stalemate in the early exchanges.

Not until the second half did this game really burst into life. France's willingness to go three on three at the back invited pressure on their center backs when they had the ball with the Spanish attack ratcheting up the pressure in the final third.

When Jules Kounde was caught out Mikel Oyarzabal found himself in a good spot to pick out a team mate from the left flank but failed to do so. Spain's commitment to win the ball higher up the field opened the spaces that make Mbappe light up. Seconds later he was charging in behind the defense, it took a sliding intervention from Marcos Alonso to stop a Benjamin Pavard through ball from reaching him.

This was end-to-end football at its most invigorating. Spain overcommitted to one attack and Pogba cut through their faltering rearguard, pushing France down the left before Theo Hernandez clipped the ball against the bar. That commitment from the French midfield meant Busquets finally had a chance to pick a pass.

It was judged to perfection. Oyarzabal's first touch took him beyond substitute Dayot Upamecano; Lloris could only watch the ball fizz into his left corner. But Spain - who had won a titanic tussle with Italy to get here - showed their own attacking threat when Ferran Torres, who started wide on the right after impressing as a centre forward against Italy, played in Pablo Sarabia to shoot at Hugo Lloris 12 minutes in, although Oyarzabal, who took on the false nine role, struggled early on against the physicality of the French defence.

Chances were few and far between for much of the first half, though, with Spain seeing an ambitious penalty shout for a Jules Kounde handball from Rodri's cross rightly rejected during an in-game VAR check, before Marcos Alonso pinged a low free-kick harmlessly wide of Lloris' goal eight minutes before the break. France - and Manchester United - were dealt a blow on 43 minutes when Varane was forced off with a thigh injury, with Upamecano taking his place.

However, it was Kounde whose mistake allowed Spain their first flourish of the second half, although Sarabia's cross for Torres was a poor one. For the second time in the match, Spain's penalty appeals were waved away on 56 minutes when Aurelien Tchouameni sent Gavi tumbling in the box after making a firm but fair tackle, but they hit the front in dramatic fashion soon after. Benzema cannoned a shot off the underside of the bar from a France counter-attack and Spain raced up the other end, with Sergio Busquets feeding Oyarzabal to skip past Upamecano and shoot into the far corner.

Spain's supporters were still celebrating when France equalised, though; Benzema bent in a brilliant effort off the finger-tips of Simon from just inside the penalty area to haul his side level. The drama wasn't done, with Mbappe's winner coming in controversial circumstances: the striker was only spared being called up by VAR for offside by a faint touch from Eric Garcia on Hernandez's pass, which initiated a new phase of play. It was cruel on the Spanish but the year-old forward kept his cool and, after a couple of step overs, drilled in a low finish to put France on the brink.

For Mbappe, it was a sweet moment given his Euros error. For France - who held firm during a late Spanish onslaught - the trophy is a reminder of their strength after a summer of criticism. But this proves you don't always have to do that. You can get success in other ways and they'll be delighted. I felt in this game they would wait for a moment, and in the end they got two. They had goalscorers in Benzema and Mbappe that unfortunately Spain didn't have. The only reason that Garcia plays the ball is he knows Mbappe is behind him.

So France get really lucky. Does he impact on the defender? Many people would say 'yes' because of where he is, he forces Garcia to play the ball. So there is a lot of distaste about it from people, but on law it is absolutely correct. Earlier on Sunday, Italy had claimed third-place in the tournament by beating Belgium in Turin.

Bet Credits available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. More Details. Spain's latest super-group of teenagers has caught the imagination this week, but the year-old Basque winger might be the one to lead them. France came into the Nations League needing to rediscover the form that pushed them to World Cup glory in They found that, and more.

Kylian Mbappe's goal, scored after he was clearly in an offside position, has caused outrage in Spain. Why was it not disallowed after a VAR review? Belgium, France, Italy and Spain have four of the best coaches in the game, so why are they never linked with the game's biggest clubs? Skip to main content Skip to navigation. Mikel Oyarzabal 64'. Oct 10, Reuters.