Stuttgart, June 8 (UNI) France clinched the bronze medal in the UEFA Nations League after defeating hosts Germany 2–0 in the third-place play-off here on Sunday, with Kylian Mbappé scoring his 50th international goal to headline a resilient performance by Les Bleus.
Amid a vibrant atmosphere at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany started aggressively, threatening early through Nick Woltemade and Niclas Fullkrug. However, France goalkeeper Mike Maignan produced a fine save in the 2nd minute, and Lucas Digne heroically cleared Fullkrug’s effort off the line three minutes later. Florian Wirtz then rattled the post in the 37th minute as Die Mannschaft dominated the opening stages.
But the breakthrough came for France just before the break. In the 45th minute, Mbappé drifted inside from the left and curled a stunning strike beyond Marc-André ter Stegen, bringing up his half-century of international goals. The Paris Saint-Germain forward is now just one goal behind Thierry Henry, France’s second all-time leading scorer.