{"id":1176436,"date":"2020-11-14T22:36:46","date_gmt":"2020-11-14T22:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1176436"},"modified":"2021-03-30T09:36:26","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T08:36:26","slug":"portugal-0-1-france-match-analysis-five-things-learned-griezmann-kimpembe-martial-ronaldo","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/portugal-0-1-france-match-analysis-five-things-learned-griezmann-kimpembe-martial-ronaldo\/","title":{"rendered":"“Martial misses his moment” – Five things learned as France’s spine stands tall in big Nations League win"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an intense night of football, France beat Portugal 0-1 in Lisbon to make the 2021 UEFA Nations League finals.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The win gives France a head-to-head tiebreaker edge on as well as three point lead over Portugal with just three points left to play for. What did we learn?<\/p>\n

\"Black<\/a>

Black Lives Matter:<\/span> Read more about the cause footballers are taking the knee for<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

1. Martial misses his moment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It’s rare that Didier Deschamps is comfortable experimenting with his team. Once he finds a line-up he likes, he generally sticks to it. For years this meant Olivier Giroud in the XI even if he was only useful in about 20% of the games France played.<\/p>\n

Now with Giroud’s decline and Kylian Mbapp\u00e9’s injury, he has been forced into changing his attack. Realistically, Mbapp\u00e9 walks back into the team when fit but Giroud might not, which means Anthony Martial and Kingsley Coman were competing for a spot in Deschamps’ first XI, the side that will contest the Euros and the Nations League finals in 2021.<\/p>\n

And whilst Coman was alright, bringing threat in the wide areas and lots of pace, Martial missed his moment at the head of the side.<\/p>\n

\n

Anthony Martial for France vs. Portugal:<\/p>\n

5 shots
3 shots on target
1 woodwork hit
0 chances created<\/p>\n

Getting closer to ending that goal drought. pic.twitter.com\/QrMRmAFPy0<\/a><\/p>\n

— Squawka (@Squawka) November 14, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n