Goals from captain Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise secured a 2-0 victory for France over Germany in Sunday’s third-place play-off, earning Les Bleus a podium finish in this season’s UEFA Nations League.

Germany, the hosts of the finals, were aiming to bounce back after their semi-final defeat to Portugal, but fell behind just before the interval. Mbappé controlled a lofted pass with precision and finished clinically, marking his 50th international goal.

The home side thought they had drawn level shortly after the restart through Deniz Undav, but the VfB Stuttgart striker’s effort was ruled out following a VAR review, with Niclas Füllkrug adjudged to have committed a foul in the build-up.

Despite the setback, France maintained control of the contest and had several opportunities to extend their lead. They finally made the result safe late on when Mbappé unselfishly squared the ball for Olise to tap home, sealing third place ahead of the final between Iberian rivals Portugal and Spain, which took place later on Sunday.

“When I put together a team, it’s to ensure that it can be as dangerous as possible for the opposition,” said France head coach Didier Deschamps.

“Over the course of these two matches, yes, we’ve shown that we can score goals. Had we been more clinical, the scoreline could have been even more emphatic.

“The most impressive element throughout this international window has been the squad’s outstanding mentality.”

Cristiano Ronaldo’s decisive goal in Portugal’s semi-final win had ended Germany’s unbeaten run since Euro 2024, and although they started brightly against a France side reeling from a dramatic loss to Spain, they failed to convert their chances.

Florian Wirtz came closest in the opening period, his low strike grazing the outside of the post before France took the lead.

Mbappé’s finish – following a superb long ball from Aurélien Tchouaméni – was his 50th for the national team. The 26-year-old is now just one goal behind Thierry Henry in France’s all-time top scorers’ list.

Germany briefly believed they had equalised through Undav, but the effort was chalked off after Füllkrug’s infringement was spotted on review.

France continued to dominate proceedings, and but for a couple of vital saves from Marc-André ter Stegen and the intervention of the woodwork, they might have won by a wider margin. Their dominance was eventually rewarded when Olise, of Bayern Munich, slotted home to cap off a composed team display.

“We lost patience too early and lost our structure in the second half,” said Germany captain Joshua Kimmich in a post-match interview with RTL.
“We made too many errors and gave them exactly what they wanted.
We weren’t clinical enough in front of goal. Overall, we must not lose patience so easily.”