The UEFA Nations League 2020/2021 Discussion Thread

[AndySt]

Benzema goal is the best one in this match, it requires a lot of talent and concentration although his team was 1 goal behind 2 minutes ago, I could say Benzema saved Deschamps this time
I asked also whether Mbappe goal was legit. He was clearly in an offside position from that angle, the Spanish player touched the ball and modified its trajectory a bit then Mbappe continued the game and scored. I am not an expert but media will talk a lot about that imo.
Congratulations to France 1st position, it is well merited, congrats also to Spain for constructing a good team that might dominate the game in the future.

Benzema's goal came at the right time and did not allow the Spanish national team to feel their superiority and rebuild the team game according to the result of the match for this period. The Spanish national team had better control of the ball before, but the attacks of the French national team were more dangerous and when France failed to score once again hitting the crossbar with a rebound in front of the goal line, I said that such scattering moments could end badly and it really happened. However, Benzema's quick return goal quickly leveled the situation. As for Mbappe's goal, it turns out that it would be better if the Spanish player did not touch the ball. All these newfangled interpretations of the rules are confusing everything more and more, because Mbappe was still offside and the pass was clearly going to him. In any case, I would like to congratulate the French national team on a great game and winning the title!

[laurenB7742]

As I thought, France will win. The Spanish team has performed very well in the last few matches. Because of Mourinho they are now very stable as a team. There has been excellent bonding between the players. But then the team is not experienced. France is much more experienced than them. And the need for experience in such an important match is very important.

[bitzizzix]

Benzema goal is the best one in this match, it requires a lot of talent and concentration although his team was 1 goal behind 2 minutes ago, I could say Benzema saved Deschamps this time
I asked also whether Mbappe goal was legit. He was clearly in an offside position from that angle, the Spanish player touched the ball and modified its trajectory a bit then Mbappe continued the game and scored. I am not an expert but media will talk a lot about that imo.
Congratulations to France 1st position, it is well merited, congrats also to Spain for constructing a good team that might dominate the game in the future.

Benzema's goal came at the right time and did not allow the Spanish national team to feel their superiority and rebuild the team game according to the result of the match for this period. The Spanish national team had better control of the ball before, but the attacks of the French national team were more dangerous and when France failed to score once again hitting the crossbar with a rebound in front of the goal line, I said that such scattering moments could end badly and it really happened. However, Benzema's quick return goal quickly leveled the situation. As for Mbappe's goal, it turns out that it would be better if the Spanish player did not touch the ball. All these newfangled interpretations of the rules are confusing everything more and more, because Mbappe was still offside and the pass was clearly going to him. In any case, I would like to congratulate the French national team on a great game and winning the title!

Yes, Mbappe's goal itself is considered controversial because it smells of offside, but most explanations say that Mbappe's goal can be confirmed as valid because the ball had hit Spanish defender Eric Garcia, and the proof was France became champions.
and France were a little worried after Varane could only play in the first half and in the 43rd minute had to leave the field, because he is a central defender that France rely on and but France can win without Varane.

[onecall123]

As I thought, France will win. The Spanish team has performed very well in the last few matches. Because of Mourinho they are now very stable as a team. There has been excellent bonding between the players. But then the team is not experienced. France is much more experienced than them. And the need for experience in such an important match is very important.

Quite rightly, France is at the top of the world right now and is quite experienced. Without question, currently the best team on the planet at the moment. The 2021 UEFA Nations League champions are France! In addition to winning the World Cup, the EUROs and Nations League, France is the first nation to win all three. The heart of Spain was shattered by Mbappe & Benzema. The wining goal by Mbappe was onside, but was it? There are a lot of people who claim offside!

[leea-1334]

Yes, Mbappe's goal itself is considered controversial because it smells of offside, but most explanations say that Mbappe's goal can be confirmed as valid because the ball had hit Spanish defender Eric Garcia, and the proof was France became champions.
and France were a little worried after Varane could only play in the first half and in the 43rd minute had to leave the field, because he is a central defender that France rely on and but France can win without Varane.

That was the only explanation,,, because every angle showed him offside.

The problem for me is that he was offside when the ball was played,,, you cannot become onside after becoming offside first unless the defense line comes back or the offense line goes ahead of you. Or this anyway was how I understood offside.

But no use arguing, the favorites won and deservedly so!

[W Jr.]

Spain took a 1-0 lead with Oyarzabal. Two minutes later, Benzema scored for France and it was 1-1. Benzema's goal was excellent. Everyone knows that he is a very good player with his positioning feature. He shows once again that he is a complete quality by scoring such goals. Before this goal, Hernandez's shot hit the post and Spain scored in the spinning position. France found great morale by finding the goal early. In the 80th minute, Mbappe took the stage and scored the goal that made the situation 2-1. But for France, I think the hero of the match was Lloris. He blocked Orayzabal's effective shot in the 87th minute. 90+3. He made another clear position in the minute. France became Champion and owes it to Lloris. 

Congratulations France!

[slaman29]

I have to say that this Spain team is highly motivated and they are full of young talented players like Pedri, Gavi, Ferran Torres. But in this very match, I think that France will win it. The combination of Benzema and Mbappe upfront is very deadly and lethal and Pogba is a magician in the midfield. This season, his assisting capability seems to have flourished a lot so I'm hoping that Spain cannot contain both Benzema and Mbappe at the same time and one of them will make the difference in the match and make France the winner.

Yeah, it's been all the talk. Gavi and yeah he's Spanish and yeah, I also think he's pretty good but if you watched the game, it was actually less about Mbappe and more about Pogba this time. The midfielder was a bit under pressure so credit to Spain for that but after a while he stopped whining and then showed everyone his class. That move and several others from him actually brought France back from the brink.

[buwaytress]

Went to bed sort of happy even though I lost my Spain bet. I mean, yeah the lead taken less than a minute after France hit the crossbar, but then Benzema to get them right back on track just less than a minute after that... France probably deserved to win but that 2nd goal, from my view, no matter what, was offside. Benefit of attacker, right?

Despite being from Africa, I don't even bet on the CAF matches, even during the Nations Cup, I barely do. I'm only so familiar with the teams by names and my bias was always getting the better of me.

The Nations League Final Lineup is up already, France looks really better on paper, bar their recent performance, Spain looks like a new generation (experimental squad), while the bookies think it's somewhat even... I'd go with the bookies, It's BTTS I'm going with, and that's @ 1.98 rn

I think we discussed this before (apologies if I'm mistaken) but yeah, I actually do bet a decent amount on Afcon, and the odds can be pretty good if you follow form (or go against it) -- but yeah, World Cup qualifications haven't been good to me.

Regarding Nations League, I profited quite a bit in the Group Stages - new competitions and in particular, new entrants, tend to have pretty decent odds for the newcomers, as bookies also don't have enough data, and odds are heavily based on market expectations. The Caucasus nations have been quite strong!

[dustboy]

As I thought, France will win. The Spanish team has performed very well in the last few matches. Because of Mourinho they are now very stable as a team. There has been excellent bonding between the players. But then the team is not experienced. France is much more experienced than them. And the need for experience in such an important match is very important.

Quite rightly, France is at the top of the world right now and is quite experienced. Without question, currently the best team on the planet at the moment. The 2021 UEFA Nations League champions are France! In addition to winning the World Cup, the EUROs and Nations League, France is the first nation to win all three. The heart of Spain was shattered by Mbappe & Benzema. The wining goal by Mbappe was onside, but was it? There are a lot of people who claim offside!

Looking at how they play against Spain, I would not say France is the best team. Spain with its squad (mostly young players) were playing better than France with its squad (so many popular players). Although the final result tells us that France is the winner but by overall performance I have to say that Spain is better.

[davis196]

As I thought, France will win. The Spanish team has performed very well in the last few matches. Because of Mourinho they are now very stable as a team. There has been excellent bonding between the players. But then the team is not experienced. France is much more experienced than them. And the need for experience in such an important match is very important.

Mourinho?Do you mean Jose Mourinho?What kind of influence does Jose Mourinho have over the Spanish football?He was a coach of Real Madrid several years ago.He hasn't been leading any Spanish club since then.He isn't a national coach of the Spanish national team.He is a coach of Roma right now.
I'm confused by your statement.
Anyway,Spain is building a new generation of young players and the future is in front of them
France,on the other side,will have to rely on more young players in the next years,since Benzema,Griezmann,Pogba and Olivier Giroud will only get older as time passes by.

[laurenB7742]

As I thought, France will win. The Spanish team has performed very well in the last few matches. Because of Mourinho they are now very stable as a team. There has been excellent bonding between the players. But then the team is not experienced. France is much more experienced than them. And the need for experience in such an important match is very important.

Mourinho?Do you mean Jose Mourinho?What kind of influence does Jose Mourinho have over the Spanish football?He was a coach of Real Madrid several years ago.He hasn't been leading any Spanish club since then.He isn't a national coach of the Spanish national team.He is a coach of Roma right now.
I'm confused by your statement.
Anyway,Spain is building a new generation of young players and the future is in front of them
France,on the other side,will have to rely on more young players in the next years,since Benzema,Griezmann,Pogba and Olivier Giroud will only get older as time passes by.

I'm sorry. It's my mistake. When I was typing that post, that's time I was reading an article about Mourinho. So I mistakenly used Mourinho's name instead of Luis Enrique's. I'm very sorry. I hope you understand the matter. You are wise people, I hope you can easily understand these small mistakes.

[LittleBitFunny]

As I thought, France will win. The Spanish team has performed very well in the last few matches. Because of Mourinho they are now very stable as a team. There has been excellent bonding between the players. But then the team is not experienced. France is much more experienced than them. And the need for experience in such an important match is very important.

Quite rightly, France is at the top of the world right now and is quite experienced. Without question, currently the best team on the planet at the moment. The 2021 UEFA Nations League champions are France! In addition to winning the World Cup, the EUROs and Nations League, France is the first nation to win all three. The heart of Spain was shattered by Mbappe & Benzema. The wining goal by Mbappe was onside, but was it? There are a lot of people who claim offside!

Looking at how they play against Spain, I would not say France is the best team. Spain with its squad (mostly young players) were playing better than France with its squad (so many popular players). Although the final result tells us that France is the winner but by overall performance I have to say that Spain is better.

If we buy a comparison of the players of the two teams, then the squad of France is undoubtedly the best. But the performance of the young players against France is incomparable, extraordinary. I think no one will be able to stop the Spanish team when these players become experienced. Now they have a bad time but their future is bright.

[abhiseshakana]

Looking at how they play against Spain, I would not say France is the best team. Spain with its squad (mostly young players) were playing better than France with its squad (so many popular players). Although the final result tells us that France is the winner but by overall performance I have to say that Spain is better.

Yes, Spain's performance is better than France, they even have 60% ball possession but it's all not enough to bring them to win the game. France has lost in possession of the ball but France still has a good mentality and they are better at taking advantage of opportunities than Spain. So Overall, France is better than Spain because they managed to win the UEFA Nations League.

[OcTradism]

In the 80th minute, Mbappe took the stage and scored the goal that made the situation 2-1.

Even with VAR support, it still is a goal and this is the biggest drama of VAR so far as far as I know. The goal should be rejected especially when VAR was used. If even with VAR - that destroys emotion in football, the terrible mistake can still be made, it is better for football if VAR is removed.

But for France, I think the hero of the match was Lloris. He blocked Orayzabal's effective shot in the 87th minute. 90+3. He made another clear position in the minute. France became Champion and owes it to Lloris. 

Yes, Lloris is a real hero for France because he saved many shots from Spain and brought the team to the final win. If Lloris can not make so many saves, Spain should be the champions, not France.

Yes, Spain's performance is better than France, they even have 60% ball possession but it's all not enough to bring them to win the game. France has lost in possession of the ball but France still has a good mentality and they are better at taking advantage of opportunities than Spain. So Overall, France is better than Spain because they managed to win the UEFA Nations League.

The second goal of France by Mbappe is strange. I don't know why it was not rejected even with the consideration of VAR. 

Mbappe missed many great chances that he should score goals in the final match. The drama he started in the summer still follows him. He did not get his confidence when he plays for France. In France now, Benzema has more important role than Mbappe and he just scored a beautiful equalizer for France.

[3meek]

I thought France would win... For a long time no one was able to score, and finally after a goal from Spain there was a quick return goal and an equally quick second goal! But the Spaniards were great! Gradually they are gaining good form and improving their results! They have played very badly in recent World Cups or Europe, maybe they will show their good football again soon!

[Ebede]

I thought France would win... For a long time no one was able to score, and finally after a goal from Spain there was a quick return goal and an equally quick second goal! But the Spaniards were great! Gradually they are gaining good form and improving their results! They have played very badly in recent World Cups or Europe, maybe they will show their good football again soon!

Young lads that actually played very well, had full ball possession of the game both in the first half and as well in the second.
They're doing good but maybe I feel they're still have a lot to do.
Spain has been in full domination of the world football to an extent but I think this young lads playing without much zeal and ambition.

[cryptofrka]

France was a bit lucky with the refereeing in the final but I'll take the win
I did not connect 3 tickets with these kind of odds for a while, I got both semifinals and the final correct.

Overall I do feel France was the best team in the Nations league, a quick comeback in the final showed their strength nicely.

[KTChampions]

Thank God that as soon as I wrote this the game completely changed and we saw a decent number of goals for the final. Benzema and Mbappe once again proved why they are considered top players and made the result. By the way, according to the results of the tournament, Haaland turned out to be the top scorer with 6 goals scored.

Assuming the game ended in a shoot-out it would just be as good as the number of goals conceded during the match. Not all finals end in a straight win most end in penalty shoot out. Although goals add more fun to the game giving the fans some kind of excitement for their time. Both team gave in their best but the luckier ones with more effort made their way through thanks to:
Mikel Oyarzabal, Karim Benzema and Mbappe the all made the final worth watching

Maybe a penalty shootout is not so bad if we are talking about an effective draw with a score of 2-2 or 3-3, but if it is a lottery after a goalless draw then it is sad. One of the most interesting moments in football is how one team defends its advantage and the other tries to recoup with all its might (when even goalkeepers come to the corner kick), but in the case of a goalless draw, this does not happen.

[casperBGD]

~snip
I did not connect 3 tickets with these kind of odds for a while, I got both semifinals and the final correct.

Overall I do feel France was the best team in the Nations league, a quick comeback in the final showed their strength nicely.

congrats, I expected more from Belgium, but had two from three, all on goals (just Italy late goal crushed my first under goals ticket)
France was a bit better, goal is questionable, but decision is made, and in the end it is all that matters, France won the tournament

Belgium finished fourth in the end, kind of irony, after 2:0 in first semi-final against France on half-time

[skarais]

~~~

It's still about Mbappe's controversial goal, apparently some people are even quite sure that it was in accordance with the rule and the goal was declared valid even though we all saw that Mbappe was in an offside position. I'm not sure what the rule are about such situation even though it's happened a few times since VAR was around. I'm still convinced that the goal was illegitimate but there's nothing to question because it's over. Not sure if I still want to watch the replay, that won't change anything now.