Germany held 0-0 by France in Nations League opener

IANS  |  Munich 

and winners battled to a 0-0 draw here in the opening Nations League match for both teams.

Les Bleus stuck with the defense-first approach that served then so well in a few months ago, while the Germans were anxious to avoid the kind of blunders that led to their crashing out of in the group stage, reports news.

The first shot on goal came in the 16th minute, an effort by Germany's from inside the box that French keeper handled with ease.

At the other end of the pitch, host keeper had to be sharp to stop Olivier Giroud's header in the 34th minute.

The second half was livelier and French striker created a pair of chances, testing Neuer with a shot from distance in the 64th minute before a German surge in the final 20 minutes that saw Areola make a succession of impressive saves against Marco Reus, and Thomas Müller.

Areola, who got the nod in only because of to starter and backup Steve Mandanda, was the man of the match.

--IANS

kk/sed

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Fri, September 07 2018. 13:54 IST