View source for Portugal 0-1 France: Kante Goal Dumps Champions Out Of Nations League

The winner-takes-all showdown between Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal and  [https://kynghidongduong.vn/blog/le-hoi-hoa-tam-giac-mach-ha-giang-va-nhung-diem-check-in-voi-hoa-dep-nhat.html kynghidongduong.vn] world champion France on Saturday was decided by one of the least likely scorers on the quality-packed pitch at Lisbon's Stadium of Light.<br>Midfielder N'Golo Kante, whose prowess is tackling, not scoring, notched the only goal of a 1-0 win that ended Portugal's bid to defend its Nations League title and sent the French into the final four.<br>Joining the fray in a crowded area in search of a loose ball or rebound, Kante was rewarded when goalkeeper Rui Patricio fumbled a ball into his path for him to finish off in the 53rd minute.<br>It was Kante's second international goal in his 44th appearance for France.<br><br>His other strike came in 2016 in a friendly against Russia.<br>       N'Golo Kante scored the only goal as France beat Portugal 1-0 in Lisbon on Saturday night <br>       The Chelsea midfielder tapped-in from close-range after 53 minutes to take a deserved lead<br>         Portugal couldn't break down the French defence and fell out of Nations League contention<br>France clinched a first-place finish in Group 3 with three more points than Portugal and the tiebreaker on head-to-head goals with one game to play.<br><br>Portugal won last year's inaugural Nations League.<br>France outplayed European champion Portugal and was denied a lead by half-time thanks only to Patricio.<br>'Given the quality of the opposition,  [https://kynghidongduong.vn/blog/le-hoi-hoa-tam-giac-mach-ha-giang-va-nhung-diem-check-in-voi-hoa-dep-nhat.html hà giang] it's of course one of our best performances of recent times,' France coach Didier Deschamps said.<br><br>'We deserved the win and we've fulfilled our objective of finishing top. I'm very proud of the players. They proved tonight that France are still a great team.'<br>   RELATED ARTICLES  [# Previous] [# 1] [# Next]     [/sport/football/article-8949635/Switzerland-1-1-Spain-Gerard-Moreno-salvages-point-Sergio-Ramos-misses-TWO-penalties.html  Switzerland 1-1 Spain: Substitute Gerard Moreno spares...] [/sport/football/article-8949645/Sweden-2-1-Croatia-Goals-Kulusevski-Danielsson-Swedes-points-Group-three.html  Sweden 2-1 Croatia: Marcus Danielson scores at both ends as...] [/sport/football/article-8949497/Pep-Guardiola-moving-closer-signing-contract-extension-Manchester-City.html  Pep Guardiola 'moving closer to signing contract extension...] [/sport/football/article-8949259/Kevin-Bruyne-defends-Manchester-City-team-mate-Kyle-Walker-Roy-Keane-criticism.html  Kevin De Bruyne defends Kyle Walker after Roy Keane labelled...]    <br><br><br><br>Share this article<br>Share<br>155 shares<br><br><br><br> Starting for the injured Kylian Mbappe, France striker Anthony Martial hit the post on the half-hour mark and had two more good chances denied by Patricio.<br>Patricio closed quickly to smother Martial's attempt to tap in a great throughball by Antoine Griezmann in the 12th.<br><br>Martial's header from a well-executed set-piece hit the crossbar on the half-hour mark, and Patricio stood firm to block another tap-in by Martial of Lucas Hernandez's low cross in the 41st.<br>Patricio kept his side in the match until shortly after the restart when he failed to keep his grip on a shot by Adrien Rabiot.<br><br>Instead, he spilled the ball into the path of Kante to finish off.<br>Forced to focus on defending, Portugal's playmaking trio of Bruno Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Joao Felix struggled to get involved.<br>         Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal drove forwards towards the end but ended up frustrated <br>         Anthony Martial squandered some big chances in the first half as [http://www.empowher.com/search/site/Rui%20Patricio Rui Patricio] impressed<br>         Paul Pogba went close to scoring a goal, put off by [http://search.ft.com/search?queryText=club%20team-mate club team-mate] Bruno Fernandes (R)<br>         France advance to the last four having gone unbeaten so far in the 2020 Nations League <br>Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo was left seven goals shy of the men's national team record held by former Iran striker Ali Daei with his 109 goals.<br><br>His best chance came just before half-time when he headed the ball inches above the bar.<br>Portugal mustered their two best scoring chances once they fell behind.<br>Defender Jose Fonte almost equalised in the 60th when he headed off the post.<br>France goalie Hugo Loris protected the lead by stretching to block a stinging shot by substitute Joao Moutinho with 15 minutes left.<br>It was Portugal's first home defeat in a competitive match in six years. They had not lost on home soil under coach Fernando Santos.<br>'We struggled a lot.<br><br>France in the first half were superior,' Santos said. 'In the second half we got better. It was a different game and we ended up suffering a goal that was decisive.'<br><br>         Portugal won last seasons Nations League but faced a tough task against the world champions<br>   RELATED ARTICLES  [# Previous] [# 1] [# Next]     [/sport/football/article-8949635/Switzerland-1-1-Spain-Gerard-Moreno-salvages-point-Sergio-Ramos-misses-TWO-penalties.html  Switzerland 1-1 Spain: Substitute Gerard Moreno spares...] [/sport/football/article-8949645/Sweden-2-1-Croatia-Goals-Kulusevski-Danielsson-Swedes-points-Group-three.html  Sweden 2-1 Croatia: Marcus Danielson scores at both ends as...] [/sport/football/article-8949497/Pep-Guardiola-moving-closer-signing-contract-extension-Manchester-City.html  Pep Guardiola 'moving closer to signing contract extension...] [/sport/football/article-8949259/Kevin-Bruyne-defends-Manchester-City-team-mate-Kyle-Walker-Roy-Keane-criticism.html  Kevin De Bruyne defends Kyle Walker after Roy Keane labelled...]    <br><br><br><br>Share this article<br>Share<br>155 shares