Les Bleus were dumped from the competition by Spain on Thursday evening as their defence disintegrated in a gruelling 5–4 defeat. Despite an admirable late comeback in which they scored three times in 14 minutes to unnerve the European champions, it was ultimately too little and too late.

Germany and France are both looking to pick themselves up off the dirt after uneven performances in the semifinals. Germany just never looked authoritative for too long and lacked chemistry. When coupled with a poor game plan and poor execution, it was the perfect combination for the rare loss to Portugal.

France and Spain each enjoy top-tier youth pipelines, and some of the best players in the world will share a pitch in Germany. UEFA’s Nations League is a relatively new undertaking — this is only the fourth go-around — but this semifinal could be one ...