2) France Euro 2016
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For France, Euro 2016 seemed to be a bit too long a tournament, for their liking. Probably having peaked far too early, they looked a tad tired and overwhelmed by the occasion in Paris, during the final. Qualifying with ease from a relatively easy group, the hosts were taken by surprise by the Republic of Ireland in the round of 16, with the Irish punching far above their weight.
It took 2 strikes from eventual top scorer Antoine Griezmann to tilt the scales in France’s favour and secure progression to the quarters. France were in imperious form against minnows Iceland in the quarters, and romped home 5-2. A mouth-watering semi-final clash against reigning World Champions Germany ensued, and a dramatic smash and grab performance saw Germany hog all the possession over 90 minutes and yet France emerged 2-0 winners.
The stage was set for the French to emulate the heroics of 1984 and 2000, once again in front of their own fans. Like Zidane and Platini before, Antoine Griezmann seemed to be the talisman who would lead them to glory. However, the script was not written according to plan, and despite losing Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal emerged champions after extra time, courtesy a fantastic strike from Eder.
