June 06, (THEWILL) – Spain reached the UEFA Nations League final after a frenetic 5-4 win over France in Stuttgart, edging a thriller that kept the crowd at the MHPArena on their feet. Despite a hostile reception for Marc Cucurella, the contest delivered from the outset, with early chances falling to Theo Hernandez, who hit the crossbar and saw another effort deflect wide off Lamine Yamal. Both Nico Williams and Désiré Doué tested the goalkeepers with curling attempts before Spain found the breakthrough.
Williams struck in the 22nd minute after being played in by Mikel Oyarzabal, who again turned provider minutes later with a one-two that set up Mikel Merino to finish calmly for Spain’s second. France pushed back with efforts from Doué, Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, but Unai Simón kept his composure to deny them all. Dean Huijsen appeared to add a third from a clever free-kick routine, only for VAR to rule it out for offside.
A rash challenge by Adrien Rabiot on Yamal early in the second half allowed the teenager to score from the spot and put Spain three ahead. Just moments later, Pedri and Williams combined for a fourth goal, the Barcelona midfielder slotting past Mike Maignan. Although France were reeling, Mbappé won and converted a penalty to reduce the margin, sparking a revival attempt.
Yamal struck again with his second goal of the night, shrugging off Clément Lenglet before prodding past Maignan to make it 5-1. France responded with a stunner from debutant Rayan Cherki, who then assisted Malo Gusto’s cross that deflected in off Dani Vivian. With the pressure mounting, Randal Kolo Muani headed in from another Cherki delivery, setting up a frantic finish that Spain managed to withstand.
The result sends Spain into Sunday’s final against Portugal and extends their unbeaten run to 19 matches. France, beaten by Spain in last year’s UEFA European Championship semi-final, will now face Germany in the third-place play-off. La Roja remain unbeaten in the Nations League for a 12th straight match, and are now one win away from becoming the first country to retain the title.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
