France sealed a 2-0 win over Germany in Stuttgart to clinch third place in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League, with Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise getting the goals.
Les Bleus, still reeling from a 5-4 defeat to Spain in the semi-final, looked vulnerable early on but found their rhythm through Mbappé’s milestone 50th international goal just before half-time.
The Real Madrid forward latched onto a cross from Aurélien Tchouaméni, controlled smartly, and finished past Marc-André ter Stegen.
Germany had the better of the opening exchanges, with Mike Maignan producing several key saves to keep France level.
The AC Milan goalkeeper denied Woltemade and Adeyemi early on and later tipped a deflected shot wide to preserve the lead.
France benefitted from a VAR intervention midway through the second half, as Deniz Undav’s equalizer was chalked off due to a foul in the build-up.
Germany continued to push but left themselves exposed on the counter.
In the 89th minute, Mbappé capitalized on a defensive lapse by Robin Koch to burst forward and selflessly square for Olise, who tapped home into an empty net to seal the win.
