UEFA Nations League: 3 reasons why France beat Germany
Antoine Griezmann's timely second-half brace ensured France managed to recover a one-goal deficit to secure all three points during their UEFA Nations League fixture against Germany, leaving Die Mannschaft on the verge of a surprise relegation into League B.
The Atletico Madrid forward equalised with a brilliant header before making no mistake from twelve yards with a neatly-executed penalty effort, following Mats Hummels' foul on Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi in the area.
Despite the hard-fought victory, Les Bleus know they're capable of playing better and on another day, could have easily lost here. Germany were much improved from their 3-0 defeat by the Netherlands on Friday evening and genuinely looked dangerous in the final third with Manchester City winger Leroy Sane particularly a bright spark.
With all of that in mind, here are three reasons why France was victorious during this UEFA Nations League affair:
#3 Kylian Mbappé's persistence
Usually, when Kylian Mbappe is playing, he does so with a refreshing air of youthful exuberance and generally speaking, is the type of player you'd happily pay to watch. Here, he was a teenager possessed - particularly after Kroos' opener - as he knew just how important another positive result was for himself and his teammates.
After scoring one and creating another late on to salvage Deschamps' blushes against Iceland last weekend, the PSG forward found himself in a similar mood here. Looking to get the crowd on their feet and quickly in support despite trailing for sustained periods, he attacked with blistering acceleration and as usual, proved a real nuisance to Germany's backline whenever they got near him.
In fairness to Hoffenheim's Nico Schulz, he did fairly well in trying to marshal the 19-year-old. His deliveries into the box were wasteful and naturally playing at such a fast tempo saw him dispossessed five times.
However, it didn't faze Kylian, instead prompting him to work harder to create opportunities for team-mates. His link-up play alongside Olivier Giroud was promising, while the fact he was the game's most fouled player (4) there is no real surprise. Crucially, he played a probing through ball into Matuidi's path - from which they won the decisive spot-kick. Although he didn't score here, it was another impressive display from France's chief creator - forget Paul Pogba.