European wins in US: France beat Brazil, Croatia fought back v Colombia | OneFootball

In a high-level clash played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, the French national team secured a 2-1 victory over Brazil. The friendly match featured stretches of European dominance and a suspenseful finish after the South American side’s late reaction. Didier Deschamps’ team showed greater collective solidity and made the most of its chances at key moments.

The opening goal came around the half-hour mark, when Ousmane Dembélé slipped a through ball to Kylian Mbappé; the forward finished delicately over Ederson to make it 1-0. Although Brazil looked disjointed and struggled to create danger, the outlook changed with the sending-off of Dayot Upamecano for a last-man foul. That incident forced the French to drop deeper and leveled the flow of the game.

Despite the push from Carlo Ancelotti’s men, France struck again on the counterattack: Michael Olise set up Hugo Ekitiké, who doubled the lead with a precise finish. Then, with twelve minutes remaining, Gleison Bremer pulled one back from a set piece, adding drama to the closing stages, although the Europeans held firm to seal a win that confirms them as contenders ahead of the next World Cup.

Colombia Stumble in Orlando

Meanwhile, Colombia’s national team could not hold onto its early lead and ended up falling 2-1 to Croatia at Camping World Stadium in Florida. The Colombian side got off to a dream start: just two minutes into the match, a cross from left back Johan Mojica on the left flank was met first-time by Jhon Arias to make it 1-0.

However, the joy was short-lived. Just four minutes later, defender Luka Vuskovic advanced freely to the edge of the box and fired a shot that, after deflecting off Jhon Lucumí, wrong-footed goalkeeper Camilo Vargas and became the equalizer. Colombia had the chance to retake the lead in the 29th minute after a brilliant pass from James Rodríguez to Luis Díaz; the winger played a cutback for Luis Suárez, who astonishingly missed his shot in front of goal.

Before the end of the first half, in the 42nd minute, the decisive blow arrived. A poor clearance by Camilo Vargas on a corner allowed Igor Matanovic to head home with the goal at his mercy, completing Croatia’s comeback. Despite their efforts, the score remained unchanged in the second half, leaving the Colombian team with a bitter taste from its trip through the United States.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.