Unsurprisingly, the Spanish press, the day after La Roja’s defeat in the Nations League final against France (1-2), is red with fury. All the dailies only remember the immense feeling of injustice that gripped the country after the validation of Kylian Mbappé’s second French goal. Offside at the start of the action, the Frenchman finally found himself in a legal position as defender Eric Garcia touched the ball on Théo Hernandez’s pass. The refereeing body considered the intervention of the Spaniard as voluntary.
What feeds an endless stream of controversy on the other side of the Pyrenees. Marca, thus title on an “Illegal goal”. And the explanation then given by the referees does not calm the anger. In particular the notion of “voluntary gesture” of the defender. Mikel Oyarzabal, the scorer for Spain this Sunday, explains in the columns of Mundo Deportivo: “Those who play football know that it is not normal. It’s offside. The one who validated this law is because he has not played football and does not know what it is. “.
Marca also titled after the match: “They screw up football”. Mundo Deportivo, after explaining that the Spaniards have gone “a few centimeters to be the best” evokes a “Varapalo” (“Hard blow” in spanish) in a pun with the VAR.
“The calmest man in San Siro”
In Italy, which hosted the final phase of the event, the Gazzetta dello Sport speaks of a “grand finale”. The first sports daily obviously retains the controversy over the goal of Kylian Mbappé and evokes a success “of the stars on the collective”. But he thinks that time is on for Spain: “Halved by absences, Spain, continues the Gazzetta dello Sport, had flashes of the future. But the present has rewarded France. “In England, beyond the controversies, The Sun recognizes that” Mbappé was the calmest man in San Siro. He kept his cool to show why he is considered the most valuable footballer on the planet. “
For its part, the Daily Mail also returns to the resurrection of Mbappé since his failed Euro with the Blues. “It took a hundred days for Kylian Mbappé to rise from the depths of despair,” writes the British daily. From his missed penalty as France surrendered against Switzerland at Euro 2020 to the turbulent summer when he tried to force a departure from PSG. But in Milan, Mbappé was once again a hero by setting off in a flurry of small steps to score the winning goal ”.
