He also has a taste for scoring against Neuer. Though it beat Italy on penalties in the quarterfinal, German players failed to convert three from the spot, more than they had ever done before in the history of penalty shootouts. “In any case, he’s not an insurmountable wall”.
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Borussia Dortmund’s 20-year-old Julian Weigl is favourite to come in for his second cap to partner Kroos in midfield. I’m proud of what we’re achieving.
Debutants Iceland restored some pride through Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s close-range finish before Giroud added his second of the night for France, who head to the Stade Velodrome to take on the world champions with significant momentum.
No wonder, given his track record and his current form, he is confident about the week ahead. We had a problem with the way we started our games and that has been solved.
“We had a very good start, did what we needed to do to score”.
Five weeks ago, fans jeered Giroud off the pitch when he was substituted against Cameroon, even though he scored a volley in a 3-2 win.
However, Giroud made a mockery of such abuse on Sunday evening by scoring twice in the 5-2 quarter-final win against Iceland, leaving the field to a standing ovation.
“It’s nice to be cheered”.
“Iceland didn’t give up at any stage”, Giroud said.
Will he win it and what would it mean to Arsenal if he does?
“The more we can make them defend the better it can be”.
“No, no – I admit I don’t really think about that”, he told a news conference at France’s Clairefontaine training base.
Benzema, a two-time Champions League victor with Real Madrid – where he has scored 161 goals – is not playing at Euro 2016. Despite those setbacks, France coach Didier Deschamps is in no doubt that Germany are the class act of the tournament.
Some observers view Giroud’s success as a triumph over Benzema, having been in his shadow. Iceland leave with a lot of positives and maybe some Premier League contracts for their players.
“I’m not turning into anything personal”.
Two minutes before half-time Griezmann set up Dmitri Payet for France’s third, and only two minutes later he pounced on Olivier Giroud’s through ball to beat Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson with a sumptious chip. Each of the three has also provided two assists. “But we are there in the final four and we’ll give it our all”, said Deschamps.
The team then followed with a stunning victory against England, before succumbing to the might of France in the quarter-finals.
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For France’s reward for beating Iceland 5-2 is a semi-final against Germany, the team they were facing in a friendly only last winter, when explosions were heard outside the Stade and, in another part of Paris, a bloodbath took place at the Bataclan music venue. Man-of-the-match Olivier Giroud scored two great goals from his only two chances, rising majestically above the Iceland defence to head his second before he was taken off. Antoine Griezmann brutally exposed the Iceland defence with his chipped goal that was the 100th scored at Euro 2016. They held Portugal 1-1 in their Euro opener, beat Austria with a 94th-minute victor and then stunned England in the Round of 16.
