France – Football Flame

Croatia beat France 2-0 in Nations League quarter-final first leg

21Mar

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

NEWS

Croatia beat France 2-0 in Nations League quarter-final first leg

SPLIT, CROATIA - MARCH 20: Ante Budimir of Croatia celebrates a goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal leg one match between Croatia and France at Stadion Poljud on March 20, 2025 in Split, Croatia. Croatia's Ante Budimir and Ivan Perisic struck to secure a deserved 2-0 win over France in their Nations League quarter-final, first leg on Thursday, as the return of Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele failed to get the visitors to fire. Croatia also missed an early penalty when Andrej Kramaric’s spot-kick was saved by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan, and the 2023 runners-up were full value for a win that might easily have been achieved by a greater margin. France created chances and tested Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic several times, but it was a below-par performance on a n...

Mbappe returns to France squad as PSG’s Doue earns first call-up

13Mar

By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

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Mbappe returns to France squad as PSG’s Doue earns first call-up

Kylian Mbappe centre-forward of Real Madrid and France during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 second leg match between Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid C.F. at Estadio Riyadh Air Metropolitano on March 12, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. Captain Kylian Mbappe returned to the France squad named Thursday for this month's UEFA Nations League quarter-final against Croatia, as Paris Saint-Germain teenager Desire Doue earned a first call-up. Mbappe, 26, was left out of the last two France squads by coach Didier Deschamps for the Nations League group stage in October and November. The Real Madrid superstar was initially dropped because of fitness concerns, before later being left out amidst headlines about his private life. Deschamps said at the time that ...

Mbappe’s future with France national team confirmed

14Feb

By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

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Mbappe’s future with France national team confirmed

Paris, France - September 6: Kylian Mbappé of France during the national anthem before the UEFA Nations League 2024/2025 League A - Group 2 match between France and Italy at Parc des Princes on September 6, 2024 in Paris, France. Kylian Mbappe will return to the fold for France after being omitted from their Nations League squads in October and November in the aftermath of his Real Madrid transfer. Mbappe moved to Madrid in the summer from Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, bringing the curtain down on a lengthy, protracted pursuit that dominated headlines all around the world. The 26-year-old got off to a slow start for Real Madrid, as he acclimatised to his new surroundings, but has recently hit top form domestically and in the Champions League. His goal in Tuesday's 3-2 knockout pl...

8Jan

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

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Didier Deschamps set to leave France

Lyon , France - September 9: head coach Didier Deschamps of France gestures during the UEFA Nations League 2024/2025 League A - Group 2 match between France and Belgium at Groupama-Stadion on September 9, 2024 in Lyon , France. (Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) Didier Deschamps, France's longest serving national team coach, will not seek to renew his contract which expires in 2026, the French soccer federation (FFF) told Reuters. Deschamps' deal runs until after the next World Cup, for which Les Bleus have yet to qualify. The 56-year-old took over from fellow 1998 World Cup winner Laurent Blanc in 2012 and led Les Bleus to the World Cup title in 2018, two years after reaching the European Championship final on home soil. The former France captain, one of only three p...

England Secure Nations League Promotion, France Beat Italy

18Nov

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

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England Secure Nations League Promotion, France Beat Italy

Harry Kane of England celebrates scoring his sides first goal from the penalty spot during the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League B Group B2 match between England and Republic of Ireland at Wembley Stadium on November 17, 2024 in London, England. England blew away 10-man Republic of Ireland 5-0 to wrap up promotion to the Nations League top flight as four players netted their first international goals on Sunday, while Adrien Rabiot scored twice as France beat Italy. Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick to help Norway also top their group in League B. Euro 2024 runners-up England secured top spot in Group B2 in interim boss Lee Carsley's final game in charge before the arrival of Thomas Tuchel as manager. "I wanted the England team to be exciting to watch and be attacking," Carsley told ITV...

Newcastle United Superstar Lauds Italy Mentality Ahead of France Showdown

16Nov

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

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Newcastle United Superstar Lauds Italy Mentality Ahead of France Showdown

Sandro Tonali of Italy celebrates his goal during the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League A Group A2 match between Belgium and Italy at on November 14, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. Sandro Tonali inspired Italy to an all-important 1-0 UEFA Nations League victory against Belgium last night at the King Baudouin Stadium. After the game, the Newcastle United midfielder addressed the media. “We suffered, and we played. Our big change is that we approach every game,” the Italy superstar said, as reported by Gianluca Di Marzio. “Every training session does us good. Each of us can’t wait for the next camp to start. We enjoy ourselves on the field, and we’re in a good place off it as well. “Every match is different, and today we were up against a very strong team. We looked for specific spaces. We k...

Revealed: Kylian Mbappé’s Popularity in France Has Significantly Dropped

12Nov

By Silver Emmanuel3 Comments

LALIGA

Revealed: Kylian Mbappé’s Popularity in France Has Significantly Dropped

Kylian Mbappé’s early days at Real Madrid have been somewhat rocky. Despite scoring eight goals and recording two assists in 16 appearances, the former Paris Saint-Germain star is still struggling to find consistency. MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 09: Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid reacts during the LaLiga match between Real Madrid CF and CA Osasuna at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on November 09, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) As a result, France national team manager Didier Deschamps left his captain out of the squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches for the November FIFA international window. The Frenchman’s El Clásico debut was particularly tough, as Real Madrid were hammered 4-0 by Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu on October 26. The struggles ...

France Coach Makes Kylian Mbappe Decision

7Nov

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

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France Coach Makes Kylian Mbappe Decision

Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Real Madrid C.F. and AC Milan at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on November 05, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. It has been a tumultuous few weeks for Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid, and the latest decision from France National Team coach Didier Deschamps has only added to the drama. Pressure is mounting on Real Madrid in the Spanish capital following consecutive home defeats, and Mbappe has not been helping. Los Blancos' summer signing has scored one goal in four Champions League matches. While he has found the back of the net six times in 10 La Liga matches, three came from the penalty spot. Mbappe was targeted for his historically bad showing in Madrid's embarrassing 4-0 defeat to FC Barcel...

Mbappe under fire for skipping France matches while fit to play for Real Madrid

8Oct

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

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Mbappe under fire for skipping France matches while fit to play for Real Madrid

LILLE, FRANCE - OCTOBER 2: Kylian Mbappe #9 of Real Madrid controls the ball during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between LOSC Lille and Real Madrid C.F. at Stade Pierre Mauroy on October 2, 2024 in Lille, France. (Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images) France captain Kylian Mbappe is facing criticism in his home country for skipping Les Bleus’ Nations League games against Israel and Belgium while being available to play for Real Madrid. The forward picked up a muscle injury last month but made his return to the pitch in the Champions League last Wednesday. France coach Didier Deschamps left Mbappe out of the squad he announced on Thursday, saying the 25-year-old lacked preparation, having played too few matches.Mbappe started Real’s La Liga game a...

France and Italy cruise to win in Nations League as Norway’s Haaland scores decisive goal

10Sep

By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

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France and Italy cruise to win in Nations League as Norway’s Haaland scores decisive goal

Les Bleus breathed a sigh of relief with their 2-0 win against Belgium after a loss last week. Meanwhile Italy are on a winning streak with a victory over Israel. Italy kept up their perfect start to the UEFA Nations League on Monday, while France got the better of Belgium and Erling Haaland struck a late winner for Norway against Austria. The Italians built on an impressive win away in France at the weekend as they beat Israel 2-1 in a game played on neutral territory in Budapest due to the security situation in the Middle East. Goals in each half from Davide Frattesi and Moise Kean were enough for Italy to win in a subdued atmosphere at the Bozsik Arena, home of Honved. Luciano Spalletti's team have reacted well to their disastrous European Championship title defence, which ended at...

Calafiori sustains injury in bizarre incident during France 1-3 Italy

7Sep

By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

NEWS

Calafiori sustains injury in bizarre incident during France 1-3 Italy

Italy coach Luciano Spalletti is confident Riccardo Calafiori did not sustain a significant injury after the Arsenal man was hurt in a bizarre incident by France’s Ousmane Dembele. The Nations League match at Parc des Princes saw the Azzurri concede a Bradley Barcola goal after 14 seconds, but then fight back to win 3-1 with goals from Federico Dimarco, Davide Frattesi and Giacomo Raspadori. It was not entirely without incident, because Calafiori was forced to limp off in the second half after he was clattered from behind by a flying Dembele. Alessandro Bastoni went into the tackle on Dembele after the Frenchman had already run past several Azzurri, sending the forward flying into the air with no control over his landing. Unfortunately for the Italy star, he happened to be in t...