Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante is proud to have fired France to the Nations League semis.

The Parisian is practically a national hero in his homeland, cherished for his understated manner and selfless work. It is not often he takes centre stage but, having netted the only goal of a tight contest against Portugal, it was left to him to reflect on the result.

"We knew we had to score to win, or a draw with us scoring would put us in a favourable position," Kante explained. "I didn't know it was going to fall upon me but I am happy.

"We had a good feeling on the pitch. We knew it was an important match that we needed to score in and we needed to win so I'm satisfied with my performance, the performance of the team and to be qualified for the final four."