France are the top scorers at euro 2016 with 13 goals in six games.
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France want to write football “history” by winning the Euro 2016 final against Portugal on Sunday to bury team scandals and help the country recover from the Paris attacks, captain Hugo Lloris said.
A penalty awarded seconds before half-time caused turmoil in the German camp.
Michel Platini, his compatriot, hit nine for France on home soil in 1984, with the hosts going on to beat Spain 2-0 in the final and lift the Henri Delaunay Cup. Everybody would have said, “Deserved win for Germany”. France scored a penalty in injury time of the first half to go ahead.
After France controlled the opening 10 minutes, it was the Germans who took charge for the remainder of the first half.
Instead it was Germany keeper Neuer who was found wanting as he flapped a Paul Pogba cross straight to Griezmann who sent it back past him into the net.
Germany desperately pushed forward.
He scored one goal each against Albania during the group stage, and against Iceland during the quarterfinals.
“We have played well at these European Championships finals, but we’re out”.
French coach Didier Deschamps hailed Germany as a “a great team”. Now the country appears to be behind them again.
“I had my share [of finals] as a player”, he said. “This is their story, their victory”.
It’s freakish that a football nation like Germany went into this tournament relying so heavily on one striker in Mario Gomez and without him, all their pressure and promise did not yield the results they craved.
In May, he missed a penalty in the Champions League final when Atletico lost to local rivals Real Madrid.
“I don’t say anything about referees’ decisions”.
“For the second goal I was hanging back to wait for an error from the goalkeeper”.
Asked about whether he meant to stay on after the 2018 World Cup in Russian Federation, he said: “I’m still disappointed so I don’t want to think about that tonight”.
At worldwide tournaments, it’s often the case that one player excels above all others, usually in terms of goals, and Euro 2016 has definitely been Antoine Griezmann’s competition.
It was the first time France defeated Germany in a competitive match since the 1958 World Cup, a drought that included defeats in the semi-finals of the 1982 and 1986 World Cups and the quarter-finals two years ago.
The final will be played between hosts France and Portugal on the 11th of July at the Stade de France.
“We don’t have the power to solve the French people’s problems but we can ease their worries”, he said.
“But we told each other we would never give up”. “We earned our place in the final”, he added.
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“I’m very pleased”, said Griezmann.
