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Michael Olise’s France came up short in a pulsating UEFA Nations League semi-final in Stuttgart on Thursday, beaten 5-4 by Spain. It means he will now face Germany in the third-place play-off instead of playing in the final in Munich against João Palhinha’s Portugal, who beat the hosts 2-1 on Wednesday.
Breathless encounter
The French started the game well, but it soon developed into an end-to-end match, with Spain taking a 2-0 lead into the break. The European champions were then 4-0 up by the 55th minute and 5-1 ahead not long after, before Olise was subbed off. After that, Didier Deschamps’ side attempted their improbable comeback, scoring three more times in the final 15 minutes, but ultimately it wasn’t enough as Spain advanced to Sunday’s final at the Allianz Arena.
France will take on Germany featuring Olise’s Bayern teammates Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry and Aleks Pavlovic for third place in Stuttgart earlier the same day.
Bayern are counting down to the Club World Cup in the USA:
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