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Kylian Mbappe scored his 50th international goal as France defeated Nations League hosts Germany 2-0 in Sunday’s third-place playoff in Stuttgart.
The French captain opened the scoring in the 45th minute, finishing confidently after receiving a perfectly timed pass from his new Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni.
Mbappe then turned provider late in the second half, capitalising on a mistake by Germany’s Robin Koch to set up Michael Olise, who slotted into an empty net to seal the win with six minutes to play.
Despite Germany dominating much of the first half and creating multiple chances, including a disallowed penalty for Karim Adeyemi and a shot off the post from Florian Wirtz, it was Mbappe who proved decisive.
France coach Didier Deschamps, who made eight changes from the semi-final loss to Spain, was rewarded for trusting his squad depth. Only Mbappe, goalkeeper Mike Maignan, and Adrien Rabiot retained their starting spots.
Germany also rotated, with coach Julian Nagelsmann handing Nick Woltemade a start and reintroducing Niclas Fuellkrug. Though Deniz Undav appeared to score early in the second half, his goal was disallowed due to a foul in the build-up.
Mbappe’s standout performance drew praise from Tchouameni: “He’s a very important player for us, and when he plays like he did today, it’s just amazing.”
Germany’s second consecutive defeat under Nagelsmann raises further doubts about their progression ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Fuellkrug summed up the team’s frustration: “If we had taken our first chance and scored, it could have been three or four-nil for us.”
Later on Sunday, Spain face Portugal in the Nations League final in Munich to determine the 2025 champion.
Anthony Nlebem
Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, a seasoned Digital Content Producer, and FIFA/CAF Accredited Journalist with over a decade of sports reporting.Has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and skills in delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.
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