Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe scored his 50th goal for France as they beat Germany 2-0 in Stuttgart to secure third place in the UEFA Nations League.
The 26-year-old Mbappe scored on the stroke of halftime to hit the 50 goal landmark and is now just one goal behind Thierry Henry who is second on Les Bleus’ all-time scorers list with 51 goals.
The pacy forward cut inside on the left before bending a powerful effort beyond Marc-André ter Stegen in goal for Germany.
Mbappe’s contribution did not end there as he also teed up Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise who scored the second goal for France.
There was also ample evidence on show proving why Chelsea are interested in AC Milan and France goalkeeper Mike Maignan who made several important saves during the match.
Speaking after the match, France coach Didier Deschamps said “on the basis of these two games, yes, we have the ability to score goals, and had we found more efficiency, it could have been more.
“While we have shown enormous quality during this international window, the most impressive thing has been the squad’s excellent mindset.”
The result consigns Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany to three games without a win including their semi-final defeat by Portugal on Wednesday.
Nagelsmann was more philosophical saying; “I think it was more our team than on Wednesday: ball possession, counter movements, counter pressing. I think it was OK today.
“We created a lot of chances, but we have to be honest as well, it’s football. [Scoring] goals is the most important topic.”
Team Line-ups
Germany: Ter Stegen; Kimmich, Tah, Koch, Raum (Mittelstädt 65); Goretzka (Bischof 65), Gross (Kehrer 73); Woltemade (Undav 46), Wirtz, Adeyemi (Gnabry 78); Füllkrug
France: Maignan; Gusto, Badé, L Hernández, Digne; Tchouaméni (Koné 68), Rabiot; Kolo Muani (Doué 68), Cherki (Olise 68), Thuram (Guendouzi 90); Mbappé
Tonight reigning European champions Spain face their neighbours Portugal in the UEFA Nations League final in Munich.
