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

In a high-caliber clash at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, the French national team claimed 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 response. 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 threaded a pass through to Kylian Mbappé, who delicately chipped Ederson to make it 1-0. Although Brazil looked disjointed and struggled to create danger, the outlook changed when Dayot Upamecano was sent off for a last-man foul. That incident forced the French to drop deeper and leveled out the flow of the game.

Despite the push from Carlo Ancelotti’s side, France struck again on the counterattack: Michael Olise set up Hugo Ekitiké, who doubled the lead with a precise finish. Then, with 12 minutes remaining, Gleison Bremer pulled one back from a set piece, adding drama to the closing stages, though the Europeans held firm to secure a win that confirms them as contenders ahead of the next World Cup.

Colombia stumble in Orlando

At the same time, the Colombian national team was unable to hold on to its early lead and ended up losing 2-1 to Croatia at Camping World Stadium in Florida. The Cafeteros made the perfect start: just two minutes in, 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 surged forward unmarked to the edge of the box and fired a shot that, after taking a deflection off Jhon Lucumí, wrong-footed goalkeeper Camilo Vargas and resulted in 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 cut the ball back 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 goal arrived. A poor punch by Camilo Vargas from a corner allowed Igor Matanovic to head home with the goal at his mercy, completing the Croatian comeback. Despite their efforts, the score remained unchanged in the second half, leaving the Colombian side with a bitter taste from its trip to the United States.

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