Allianz Stadium in Turin was the place where Belgium played the UEFA Nations League semifinal against France. We got player ratings.
In the second UEFA Nations League semifinal, France visited Belgium in Turin’s Allianz Stadium for a thrilling match. Both sides had their most competitive possible lineups with only N’Golo Kante missing from this affair. During the first half, Kevin De Bruyne led the charge with two great assists for Belgium’s 2-0 initial result. Yannick Carrasco confirmed his great moment with the opening goal and Lukaku scored the second goal right before the break.
Eden Hazard played a decent first half but he limped to the dressing room with some important pain. He still jumped on the pitch for the second half but he clearly didn’t feel as fluid. France needed to respond swiftly with the impressive roster they had, the best was saved for the second half. A thrilling 45 minutes were waiting for all of us. Just like it happened yesterday between Spain and Italy, these two squads showed us why Europe has some of the fastest-paced football in the world right now.
Benzema leads France’s awakening.
There’s an overwhelming majority around the world who are convinced Karim Benzema is currently the best striker in the world. This claim is debatable when you are living in an era where Luis Suarez and Robert Lewandowski also exist. But this doesn’t take anything away from the amazing French star. His return to France gave his teammates an impressive level boost that is taking all their rivals by surprise. With 30 minutes left on the clock, Karim responded to France’s awakening with an absolute beauty of a goal.
He managed to release a shot with six Belgium players surrounding him. Soon after that, Griezmann was fouled on the pitch and Mbappe scored the equalizer from the spot. The final 15 minutes were absolutely electric for everybody who was watching. Lukaku seemed to score the winner with five minutes left on the clock but VAR disallowed it after a millimetric offside. Near the end, Theo Hernandez sealed his France debut with an absolute belter that gave France the ticket to the Nations League final. Spain awaits on Sunday.
Player ratings
Belgium: Courtois (7), Vertonghen (6), Alderweireld (6), Castagne (6), Denayer (7), Witsel (7), De Bruyne (8), Tielemans (7), Carrasco (7), Hazard (7), Lukaku (7).
Bench: Vanaken (6), Trossard (6), Batshuayi (6).
France: Lloris (6), Lucas (6), Varane (6), Kounde (6), Theo (7), Pavard (7), Rabiot (6), Pogba (7), Griezmann (7), Mbappe (7), Benzema (8).
Bench: Tchouameni (6), Veretout (6), Dubois (5).
Feel free to make your pick on players’ ratings and performances in the widget below.
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