Nations League: Spain edge France in fantastic nine-goal spectacle

There must be something in the air because we've witnessed some crazy results in crucial games recently. After PSG's 5-0 humiliation of Inter in the Champions League final the other day, tonight Spain and France provided us with a football champagne embellished with nine goals altogethe.! Of those nine, the European champions scored five for a 5-4 win in this genuine spectacle! One of the best games of international football we've seen in the last few years!

Luis de la Fuente's men will face Portugal in the UEFA Nations League final on Sunday night at Allianz Arena, while Les Bleues take on Germany in a third-place game.

In truth, France were actually excellent tonight, which makes this quite heartbreaking for the World Cup runners-up, as they fought quite decently against the sensational rival.

Alas, it was enough for nothing more than a painful slap in the face.

Didier Deschamp's attacking line, which was comprised of Mbappe, Dembele, and Doue, had a couple more than promising chances in the first half. But when fantastic Unai Simon made a few staggering saves, along with Theo Hernandez's crossbar - the stage was set for a brutal response!

Real Sociedad's Mikel Oyarzabal transformed into an unplayable pivot, making it almost impossible for French defenders to steal the ball from him near the box as he fed his teammates with perfect assists: first Nico Williams, then Mikel Merino. And all of a sudden, Spain were two goals ahead after scoring in the 22nd and the 25th minute.

That blitzkrieg was just a prelude to second-half rhapsody in red.

Yamal scored from the spot to make it 3-0 at the beginning of the second half after Rabiot knocked him down in the box. The very next minute Pedri reminded us of his brilliance, with an exquisite ball control and finishing, 4-0. Mbappe responded by scoring a penalty before Yamal sealed the brace with a smooth finish for a 5-1 lead.

Brutal, painful, shocking!

No one could have predicted that the game would unfold that way, but what makes France a truly incredible side is that they found the strength and motivation to fight back. No one else could do it like them. Ryan Cherki's incredible volley made it 5-2, which was the sign of a possible comeback. And - quite frankly - we were not far away from the greatest comeback ever.

Vivian's own goal and Kolo Muani's late goal restored the drama, as the Spaniards were on the brink of jeopardizing all they had done in the previous almost 90 minutes.

The stoppage-time climax, however, didn't bring another crazy turn for that already spectacular rollercoaster, ending in a 5-4 win for Spain.

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE - SEMIFINALS

Wednesday

Germany - Portugal 1-2 (0-0)

/Wirtz 48 - Conceicao 63, Cristiano 68/

Thursday

Spain - France 5-4 (2-0)

/Williams 22, Merino 25, Yamal 54 pen, 67, Pedri 55 - Mbappe 59 pen, Cherki 79, Vivian 84 og, Kolo Muani 90+3/