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Didier Deschamps’ men secured their way to the last four a round before the end of the group stage thanks to their 1-0 win over Portugal.
November 14, 2020, 11:37 PM
In the central game of the day in the League of Nations, the Portuguese team faced France. The injured Kilian Mbappé could not help the guests, so the attacking potential of the “tricolor” was seriously damaged. But even without him, Didier Deschamps’ charges created enough scoring opportunities. The hosts started the fight actively, immediately taking the ball under their control. They intended to score an early goal, but they didn’t. In one of the episodes, Ronaldo tried to open an account with a long distance shot on goal, but Lloris managed. After a while, the French took the initiative and created an excellent scoring opportunity, but Martial couldn’t get past Patricio after Griezmann’s cold pass.
In addition, the guests continued to control the course of the game, occasionally handing the ball to the opponent. The “Tricolor” tried to open the defense of the hosts, but it was not possible for a long time. Closer to the middle of the first half, the positions of Fernando Santos took the initiative again. They carried out attack after attack, but did not reach a real threat to Lloris’ goal. This could have happened thanks to a dangerous free kick obtained, but Ronaldo could not throw the ball over the wall. Almost immediately afterwards, Deschamps’ team took the ball back and began an active offensive against Patricio’s goal.
The guests also won a dangerous free kick, but instead of a direct shot on goal, a clever play followed, ending with a shot from Martial off the crossbar. Soon, the “chosen team” took the initiative again and actively went on the attack. The hosts got various standards, but their drawing led nowhere. The Portuguese spent a little longer in the opponent’s half of the field, after which they gave the ball back to the rival. At the end of one of the attacks, Martial was forced to score, but this time he made a mistake. Anthony shot Patricio directly from close range after a cross from Hernandez. A few minutes later, Portugal almost scored: Ronaldo fired just over the crossbar from a corner kick. A short time later, the halftime whistle blew, sending the teams into the locker room with zeroes on the scoreboard.
Immediately after the resumption of the game, the Portuguese advanced actively and could have scored in the second minute of time. Once again Ronaldo had the opportunity to excel, but Cristiano missed the goal with a direct free kick. Minutes later, Silva fired from an advantageous position, but his blow was blocked by Kimpembe. And after a few minutes, France still managed to open an account. Patricio hit the ball in front of him after Rabio struck, and Kante played successfully in the spike – 0: 1. Taking the lead, the guests continued to control the ball. They could have doubled the lead in just two minutes, but Griezmann’s dodge shot lacked precision.
A few minutes later, Pogba had a great chance to score after Rabio’s shot, but Paul missed a shot on goal with an accent, giving the ball to Patricio. Almost immediately after this, the “chosen team” took control of the ball and soon almost re-established equality. First, Lloris drew the ball after Guerreiro’s long-range shot, and then a second rhythm attack followed, ending with Fonte hitting the post. The French withstood a short-term attack from the opponent’s side, after which they headed back to the other half of the field.
The Deschamps sentries attacked for a very short time, after which they fully concentrated on playing the second number. His goal was to keep the winning score. The hosts came forward with great forces, almost immediately leading to a goal. Moutinho shot towards the top corner of the goal while Lloris threw the ball in a beautiful jump. Then the Portuguese again and again charged the ball into the penalty area, but their shots and spikes did not help to score. The standard provisions didn’t help either.
Until the end of the match, the “elite team” failed to create at least one dangerous moment. The guests, on the other hand, played confidently enough to lead the score, eventually celebrating the victory. She allowed the “tricolor” to secure their way to the final tournament of the Nations League one round before the end of the group stage. And Santos’ team missed the opportunity to defend their title.
In the sixth round, Portugal will visit Croatia and France will host Sweden.
Portugal – France 0: 1
Objective: Kante, 53 years old
Portugal: Patricio – Cancello, Fonte, Diaz, Guerreiro – Pereira (Oliveira, 84), Carvalho (Jota, 56) – Fernandes (Moutinho, 71) – Felish (Paulinho, 84), Ronaldo, B. Silva (Trincan, 71)
France: Lloris – Pavar, Varane, Kimpembe, Hernandez – Pogba, Kante, Rabio – Grizmann – Martial (Giroud, 78), Coman (Thuram, 59)
Warnings: Pereira – Lloris, Kante, Hernández
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