UEFA Nations League: France fight back from two goals down to stun Belgium, play Spain in Final

The UEFA Nations League has absolutely delivered this week, after a brilliant game last night and again tonight, in the pulsating second semifinal, Theo Hernandez struck a 90th-minute winner as France came from two goals down to beat Belgium 3-2 and set up a meeting with Spain in an enthralling game at Juventus Stadium.
Belgium vs France LIVE: Nations League semi-final result, final score and  reaction tonight | The Independent

The UEFA Nations League has absolutely delivered this week, after a brilliant game last night and again tonight, in the pulsating second semifinal, Theo Hernandez struck a 90th-minute winner as France came from two goals down to beat Belgium 3-2 and set up a meeting with Spain in an enthralling game at Juventus Stadium.

Trailing 2-0 at half-time thanks to goals from Yannick Carrasco and Romelu Lukaku, Les Bleus looked down at out at half-time.

France fight back from two goals down to stun Belgium and reach Nations  League final - Eurosport

But a rousing comeback performance ensured their place in Sunday’s showpiece final – helping to banish the painful memories of their premature European Championship exit in the process.

Didier Deschamps’ side made a slow start as the lively Kevin De Bruyne fired a warning with just four minutes on the clock, but Hugo Lloris did well to keep out his venomous shot.

However, the France captain was beaten twice in four first-half minutes as the Red Devils clicked into a higher gear.

Belgium v France: Nations League semi-final – live! | Football | The  Guardian

Lloris was still reeling from being caught out at his near post from Yannick Carrasco’s daisy-cutter when he failed to keep out Lukaku’s tidy effort from the angle.

France played with much more intensity after the restart, and when Kylian Mbappe set up Antoine Griezmann on a plate, you were expecting the net to bulge, but somehow the Atletico Madrid forward failed to apply the finish.

Karim Benzema would make no such mistake moments later as he swivelled to make space for the shot and rifled into the bottom corner to halve the deficit.

Griezmann helped to make amends for his glaring miss by winning a penalty, which was converted by the ice-cool Mbappe as parity was restored.

But the drama was far from over.

With just three minutes remaining, Belgium thought they had won it with a goal against the run of play – but Lukaku was found to be in an offside position by VAR.

And then just moments later, Theo Hernandez hammered home the winner for France – his first goal for his country – to complete a memorable comeback.

Total
0
Shares
Related Posts
Read More

Gov. Sanwo-Olu suspends Lagos abortion guidelines

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Governor of Lagos State, has directed the suspension of the “State Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications” issued by the Directorate of Family Health and Nutrition in the Ministry of Health. Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, confirmed the suspension via a statement titled, “Retraction on guidelines relating to safe termination of pregnancy for medical reasons in Lagos State’. Sanwo-Olu said that the new guidelines would not be implemented until adequate deliberation. He said the suspension was issued to allow adequate public sensitization and stakeholder engagement to reach a consensus required for successful guideline development. The statement read, “Among the several factors that contribute to maternal mortality, illegal abortions and high-risk pregnancies leading to unresolvable complications rank high. “The Lagos State Ministry of Health is seeking different methods to eliminate illegal abortions and ensure that a mother does not die at childbirth, thereby disrupting an entire family unit. “In this regard, it became imperative to examine, in keeping with existing National and State laws and policies, if there are indeed justifications and medical reasons to offer abortion to a woman whose life is threatened by a pregnancy. “Following this, the guideline was developed over four years through painstaking work by experts in Law and in Obstetrics and Gynaecology with a focus on creating the opportunity to reduce maternal mortality and in line with existing laws. “These guidelines have generated immense public interest which has necessitated escalating it to Mr Governor, who has advised further sensitization of the public and key stakeholders to ensure a clearer understanding of the objectives of the guidelines. “To this end, we are suspending the implementation of these guidelines in the meantime for the Executive Council to deliberate on this matter and ensure adequate public sensitization and stakeholder engagement to reach a consensus required for successful guideline development. “The Lagos State Ministry of Health remains committed to planning, devising, and implementing policies that promote qualitative, affordable, and equitable healthcare services to the citizenry.”