FRANCE WIN THE UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE 2021!

The World champions locked horns with La Roja last night in what was a clash for the ages but at the end of 90 minutes, it was France who became the second team to win the newest title in Europe after Portugal.

A sea of Red and Blue was visible at the San Siro as the two teams walked out of the tunnel. Luis Enrique decided to rock with the classic 4-3-3 while Didier Deschamps assembled his squad in a 3-4-1-2 formation.

The game began with both sides trying to thwart the other defenses but none could manage to score as rigid defenses managed to nullify any attacks. However, France was dealt with an early blow as veteran defender Raphael Varane's UNL final appearance had to be cut short due to injury. He was replaced with Dayot Upmecano. The referee called time on a frustrating first half which saw Spain have most of the possession. 

The second half saw Spain constantly threatened the french defense with their fluid passing and high pressing. France got very close through a phenomenal Paul Pogba shot but unfortunately, it hit the bottom of the crossbar and didn't cross the goal line. However, Spain took advantage of this situation as a genius Sergio Busquets pass set up a goal for Mikel Oyarzabal to put the Spaniard's in front.

However, La Roja's joy was short-lived as minutes later, Karim Benzema hit the ball into Unai Simon's net with a shot straight out of FIFA 22. The curve, the power, and the precision on the ball was so good that despite giving his all, Unai Simon couldn't stop it from going in 

As the match reached the final 10, an unfortunate defensive mishap by Eric Garcia and brilliant footwork saw Kylian Mbappe give Les Bleus the lead with only a few minutes remaining.

Spain constantly kept pressurizing the Frenchmen as Oyarzabal tried to get the Spanish back in the game but crucial saves from France's Keeper and Capitaine Hugo Lloris meant that it was all over for Luis Enrique's men.

After the match, Kylian Mbappe was given the award for being the highest goalscorer of the tournament with 2 goals in 4 games and although Karim Benzema and Spain's Ferran Torres had scored an equal amount of goals, Kylian was given the award for bagging 2 assists as well. The player of the tournament was awarded to the Spanish skipper Sergio Busquets who was chosen by UEFA's technical observers' team.

Didier Deschamps has managed this golden generation of french footballers brilliantly and has instilled an amazing mindset of winning it all within them. Luis Enrique's side can keep their heads up high as they had a fantastic run with a completely fresh team. 

Everyone's focus now shifts to the ultimate prize in football- the World Cup which will be held next year in Qatar.

- Asher Collin Alex Dias.