Kante, France obscure Ronaldo's Portugal to arrive at Nations League semis

France gave guarding Nations League champions Portugal an uncommon annihilation on Saturday, winning 1-0 in Lisbon with N'Golo Kante's second-half strike to arrive at the opposition's last four to the detriment of the holders.

Anthony Martial missed three obvious first half possibilities for France before Kante scored just his second worldwide objective in the 54th moment, and his first since 2016, to end Portugal's run of five progressive clean sheets.

Title holders France went top of Group A3 with 13 focuses from five games, three in front of Portugal and with the better straight on record to give them an unassailable lead. It was just Portugal's second thrashing since the 2018 World Cup.

"Given the nature of the resistance, it's obviously perhaps the best exhibition of late occasions," France mentor Didier Deschamps said of Portugal, who are the European victors.

"We merited the success and we've satisfied our target of completing top. I'm pleased with the players. They demonstrated today that France are as yet an extraordinary group."

Antoine Griezmann set up Martial's first possibility in the twelfth moment with a slide-rule pass yet Portugal's magnificent goalkeeper Rui Patricio impeded it at point-clear reach.

Military at that point redirected Adrien Rabiot's gymnastic exertion onto the bar with his head and saw another exertion splendidly spared at short proximity by Patricio from Lucas Hernandez's cross.

At the opposite end, Cristiano Ronaldo constrained a plunging save from France chief Hugo Lloris and furthermore squandered a free kick which he crashed straight into the divider.

France at last got through similarly as Portugal seemed, by all accounts, to be forcing themselves. Griezmann slipped another ball through to Rabiot whose shot was parried by Patricio and Kante was available to score from the bounce back.

Portugal had three possibilities go asking in a similar assault, including a Jose Fonte header against the post, and Lloris made a one-gave spare to repel a raking drive from Joao Moutinho, who at that point saw his cross avoid three advances as France waited.

"I don't have a clue what turned out badly in the main half, it wasn't what I expected yet it was my duty," said Portugal mentor Fernando Santos.

"We were better in the second half however then surrendered the objective which settled the game... we had three or four opportunities to balance."