Comeback kings France in Nations League final
TURIN: Theo Hernandez shot France into a Nations League final with Spain on Thursday with a last-gasp strike which earned Les Bleus a thrilling 3-2 win from two goals down against Belgium. AC Milan fullback Hernandez netted his first France goal in the 90th minute after France had come back from 2-0 down at half-time at the Allianz Stadium in Turin through strikes from Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe.
Didier Deschamps’ side will face La Roja in Sunday’s final at the San Siro in Milan after an exciting encounter which Belgium thought they had won in the final minutes when Romelu Lukaku netted from Yannick Carrasco’s cross. However with the Red Devils players still celebrating, Lukaku’s first-time finish was ruled out for offside. And with the match looking like it was heading to extra-time, Hernandez collected the ball on the left before rifling home the winner. He had started the match alongside his brother Lucas Hernandez, making the pair the first two brothers to play for France since Herve and Patrick Revelli featured in a friendly against Romania in 1974.
“Winning from where we were proves the strength of character of this team,” Deschamps told TF1. “Nobody thought it possible at half-time, and I understand that looking at the score, but they were here to not leave anything on the pitch and to play in the final.”
Mbappe shows class
The match had been fairly even for most of the opening period, although Hugo Lloris had to be at his best to stop Kevin De Bruyne’s close range finish in the fourth minute. Three minutes later Benjamin Pavard should have done better when he met Mbappe’s cross from the left with a volley that he sent straight at Thibaut Courtois. Mbappe, who became the youngest player to earn 50 caps for France, also fired too close to Courtois midway through the first half.
Belgium’s opening goal came eight minutes before the break, Carrasco cutting inside Pavard and then drilling a low shot between Lloris and his near post. And three minutes later Lukaku doubled the lead with his sixth goal in six games for his country.
France came out firing after the restart, and Mbappe was the key to drawing them level. First he burned Carrasco in the 58th minute before sending in a low cross that Antoine Griezmann couldn’t turn in. Then, four minutes later, he tricked his way past Youri Tielemans and passed to Benzema, who flashed home despite being surrounded by Belgium defenders. He then crashed home the spot-kick which set up an exciting finish after Tielemans’ clumsy foul on Griezmann.
Hernandez snatched a win which highlighted all the qualities which made the French world champions.