Varane and France draw 0-0 against Portugal in UEFA Nations League

Four years after playing each other at the Stade de France in the 2016 Euro final, France and Portugal went head-to-head on the same stage, this time in the 2020 UEFA Nations League.

Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane and Ferland Mendy were both called up to Didier Deschamps’ squad with the veteran playing the full 90 minutes against Fernando Santos’ side.

As one of the heavyweight match ups of the weekend, there was a lot of hype around this game between the reigning world and European champions but it ended in a 0-0 draw.

On an individual level, Varane had a routine yet somewhat quiet performance at the back. He did well to minimize the offensive work from Portugal (particularly from João Félix and Cristiano Ronaldo) and finished the match with two interceptions and two clearances.

Despite a cagey affair, France earned themselves some points simply for having a kit that wasn’t an eye sore, unlike Portugal.

The teams are now tied at the top of Group A3 with seven points each. Portugal edge the French on goal differential.