Kylian Mbappé scored and provided an assist as France beat Germany 2–0 in the Nations League third-place play-off on Sunday in Stuttgart.
In a match where both sides made wholesale changes, Mbappé shone brightest. Despite Germany dominating early proceedings, the French captain struck just before the interval, rifling home through a crowded penalty area to notch his 50th international goal.
Germany continued to push for an equaliser in the second half, but it was Mbappé who turned provider. Capitalising on a misplaced pass by Robin Koch, he burst down the pitch and squared for Michael Olise to finish with six minutes left on the clock.
The goal marked Mbappé’s first in open play for France in over a year. After the match, he addressed critics, telling DAZN: “Since I joined the national team, people have always found something negative to say. They did it with all the greats. I’m just doing my job.”
Teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni praised him, saying: “Everyone in the team loves him. When he plays like that, it’s just amazing.”
Germany, who have now lost back-to-back matches for the first time since 2023, were left to rue missed chances. Niclas Füllkrug said, “Had we scored first, it could have been three or four-nil to us.”
Karim Adeyemi had a penalty overturned by VAR, and Florian Wirtz struck the post in a dominant but wasteful first half for the hosts.
France manager Didier Deschamps, who made eight changes to his side, had admitted pre-match that the fixture wasn’t a top priority, with the World Cup on the horizon. However, the result and performance will provide a confidence boost.
Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann also rotated his squad but could only watch as France punished his side’s defensive lapses.
Later that evening, Spain faced Portugal in Munich in the Nations League final.