World champion and now Nations League winner - the exceptional French generation around Kylian Mbappé has not had enough even after winning the title again. Just a few minutes after celebrating the 2-1 final victory over Spain, the star ensemble was already thinking of defending their World Cup triumph from Russia. "We'll enjoy it, prepare well for the World Cup and try to win it," said goal scorer Karim Benzema late on Sunday evening in Milan's San Siro. “This is the first cup I won with France. I am very proud and overjoyed, "said the attacker, who was not there for the 2018 World Cup.
As in the semi-final win against Belgium, France turned a deficit in the final against Spain and celebrated the success thanks to a late goal.
Mbappé scored the winning goal for the Équipe Tricolore in the 80th minute in San Siro, Milan.
“The story will continue to be written,” the match winner then posted in capital letters to a photo in which he kissed the trophy.
Controversy over decisive goal
The decisive goal, however, caused controversy.
Mbappé was offside when Theo Hernández played.
However, since Spain's Eric Garcia still touched the ball with a straddle, the goal counted.
According to the rule, a player will not gain advantage from an offside position if he receives the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball and it is not a goal-preventing action.
"That doesn't make sense," Sergio Busquets grumbled in view of the rule.
His teammate tried to reach the ball because he thought Mbappé was not offside "and that's why he did what any defender would have done."
But this could not tarnish the French joy.
“We started badly.
We were dominated by Spain in the first half and we had to react, ”said midfielder Paul Pogba.
“But the result, it's a victory.
If we win like that, why not.
It's always good to get a trophy.
We are always hungry for trophies, we are never satisfied. "
French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated the team on Twitter - the Spaniards, on the other hand, are still waiting for their first trophy since winning the European Championship in 2012. Mikel Oyarzabal (64th minute) brought coach Luis Enrique's team after they won a duel with substitute Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano in the lead, Karim Benzema equalized just two minutes later with a fine flick.
"The unfair thing about football is that we had the chance to knock out when we went 1-0 up, but Karim Benzema did something extraordinary," said Spain coach Luis Enrique.