Hosts France will play Portugal in the final of Euro 2016 as Antoine Griezmann’s brace and a masterclass in defence helped France overcame Germany 2-0 in a riveting semi-final at Marseille.
Germany dominated the first half, but a Bastian Schweinsteiger handball right before the break led to a penalty which was calmly converted by an in-form Griezmann. The hosts then capitalised on some shocking defending from the Germans as Griezmann poked in from a fluffed Manuel Neuer punch to double his side’s lead.
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Germany peppered the French defence the entire game, but were unable to breach it and find themselves going out in the semi-final stage for the third time in four major tournaments.
Here are the 5 talking points from a memorable encounter:
#1 Schweinsteiger’s handball spoils Germany’s first-half domination
After France controlled the opening 10 minutes, it was the Germans who took charge for the remainder of the first half. They were technically sound, moving the ball around with some slick passing and creating openings in the French defence.
Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger were industrious in midfield, Mesut Ozil was planting dangerous crosses into the box and Joshua Kimmich was making plenty of approaches towards the byline. However, the lack of quality in finishing turned out to be their Achilles Heel. Thomas Muller was simply unable to break his Euro 2016 duck and fluffed his shots yet again.
Their frustration was further compounded when skipper Schweinsteiger raised his arm to deal with a French corner and was promptly penalised for handball seconds before half-time. The resulting penalty was put away by Griezmann and all of Germany’s good work in the first half counted for nothing.
#2 Germany guilty of defensive errors following Boateng’s departure
Germany were chasing the game in the second half and their task was made all the more difficult when Jerome Boateng – who has been a wall for Germany in defence – was forced to withdraw from the game due to a muscle injury. His replacement Shkodran Mustafi filled in at centre-back alongside Benedikt Howedes.
As a result, Germany found themselves playing with two second-choice centre-halves owing to Boateng’s injury and Mats Hummels’ suspension. The lack of an authoritative figure in defence proved very costly indeed, as rudimentary errors from Joshua Kimmich and rather surprisingly, Manuel Neuer culminated in France’s killer second goal and sealed Germany’s fate.
#3 Moussa Sissoko’s work-rate was commendable
Following an impressive game in the quarter-final victory over Iceland, Moussa Sissoko was rewarded with a starting place ahead of N’Golo Kante for this crunch fixture. He repaid his manager’s faith with an amazing performance in midfield.
He was present everywhere, whether it came to making tackles in the defensive third or to charging down the pitch to create an opening for France. The Newcastle United midfielder’s work ethic was right up the charts and he played an integral part in France maintaining their composure while dealing with the German onslaught.
It was a tireless display from Sissoko, worthy of being deemed a contender for the Man of the Match.
#4 Antoine Griezmann, France’s household hero
The name of Antoine Griezmann will be reverberating across every household in France at the moment. His form has been such. He has shown everyone that the productive season he has had at Atletico Madrid was no fluke. His brace against the world champions – backed up by his double against the Icelanders – has rubberstamped his credentials as a big-game player.
He showed immense composure to dispatch the spot-kick conceded by Schweinsteiger to give France the lead, before poaching on a weak punch from Manuel Neuer to poke home and confirm his nation’s place in the Grand Finale on Sunday. That strike took his tally up to 6 for the tournament, at least 3 more than his closest contender.
The striker is in the form of his life and seems well poised to bag the Golden Boot (highest goal-scorer in the tournament) and the Golden ball as well (best player of the tournament). His ability to punish teams on the break with his pace and tendency to get in behind defences on regular occasions have been primary factors in his transformation to one of Europe’s most lethal strikers.
Can he inspire his side to victory in Sunday’s summit clash?
#5 France show solidarity at the back
‘Attack wins you games, but defence wins you titles. France’s defending at Marseille was apropos to this famous Sir Alex Ferguson quote, as they put their necks on the line to answer any question the Germans asked on the offence. Laurent Koscielny’s brilliant performance not just kept Germany quiet but also inspired his partner Samuel Umtiti to put in a similarly heroic display in just his second international appearance.
Paul Pogba was also seen slotting in between the two centre-halves during pressure situations for France, while Moussa Sissoko and Blaise Matuidi operated as effective shielding midfielders. The introduction of N’Golo Kante in place of Payet added yet another dimension to France’s stubborn defence, which responded perfectly to the task of closing down the Germans and starving them from any clear goal-scoring chances.
Apart from keeping out Toni Kroos’ header late in the game, Hugo Lloris did not have to make a meaningful save, reflecting the professionalism and unity the hosts showed at the back.
With this sort of shrewd defensive organisation and the likes of Dimitri Payet, Olivier Giroud and Griezmann available to burst forward on the counter, France seem destined to scale the final obstacle against the Portuguese and get their hands on the trophy on their own turf, in front of their ever-passionate fans.
