New Delhi: Kylian Mbappe’s France would never have expected to go down the wire against Coratia and win in a dramatic penalty shootout. It just portrays all the drama that happened on Sunday, the second leg of the quarter-finals of the Nation League. Across four games, there were 21 goals scored, three of which went to extra time and two went further down to sudden death in the shootout and overall there were 131 on goal overall.
The results ensure that France, Germany, Portugal, and Spain will appear in the semi-finals of the Nations League in June. There were some glaring aspects from the games with Cristiano Ronaldo’s continued penalty struggle and Italian comeback being the highlight of the evening.
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty trouble
Five minutes after kickoff, chaos occurred on the pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo being dragged down in the box and Portugal got a penalty awarded to them. It was the 40-year-old’s chance to score for his side having missed on crucial occasions during the Euros last year which got him under fire.
Celtic’s shot-stopper Kasper Schmeichel wasn’t bothered by Ronaldo’s stuttering run-up and dove to his left to stop the striker’s effort. This is his 32nd miss in his career, though he has scored 172 times.
Germany managed to restraint Italy after a second-half comeback
For Germany, the goals didn’t come at once but once they managed to break the deadlock, there was no looking back for Die Mannschaft. Coming to the draw with a 2-1 win in the previous leg, the Germans scored thrice in just 15 minutes during the closing minutes of the first half.
It was the second goal that was the top moment for the hosts after Joshua Kimmich took a quick corner while Italy’s keeper protested with the referee which was enough for Jaal Musiala to score into the empty net.
The hero for the game turned out to be 15-year-old ball boy Noel Urbaniack who in the post-game was the centre of attention, getting a signed football from Germans after he delivered Kimmich quickly. Urbaniack noted that he had “brief eye contact” with Kimmich and he was quick to action. The Italians came back in the game, scoring thrice in the second half with Moise Kean scoring twice having an uneventful first half.
Italy were initially awarded a penalty with 15 minutes remaining in the game after Giovanni Di Lorenzo appeared to have fouled but a video assistant referee review said otherwise. Though Italy got their third goal but it wasn’t enough to take the game to the penalties.
Michael Olise keeps France in the game
France were beaten 2-0 in the first leg and now have with their first 52 minutes seeing little going in their favour in Paris. France kept creating chances against Croatia but were unable to convert it. It was then Michael Olise who gave Les Bleus hope when he was able to find the net with a 25-yard free-kick.
France fought their best as they knocked out the second one with ten minutes remaining in the regular time of the game after Ousmane Dembele managed to score from Olise’s cutback.
Chaotic extra-time
Portugal were staring at a win, with Francisco Trincao’s goal levelling the tie, and then scored again in the extra time to ensure that the game didn’t head to penalties. For Spain and the Netherlands, it wasn’t going to be an easy win. Lamine Yamal put the defending champions ahead in the 103rd minute, but Xavi Simons cancelled the effort just six minutes later.
The Netherlands fell behind their opponents and managed to come back on all three occasions, making the aggregate read 5-5. Which took them to the penalties. Both Noa Lang and Yamal missed in the shootout before Spain’s keeper Unai Simon ensured Donyell Malen couldn’t find the back as Pedri’s goal managed to give Spain a final-four spot.
For France, it was keeper Mike Maignan who turned out to be the ultimate hero though Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez missing their shots meant that the game went to sudden death. Maignan managed to keep Josip Stanisic’s effort and Dayot Upamecano sealed their progress.
France, Germany, Portugal, and Spain closely edge out to Nations League semi-finals after second-leg quarter-finals see three games go to extra time with two going down to sudden death. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
