France’s players and coach Didier Deschamps are focused on shackling Cristiano Ronaldo in the Euro 2016 final and consider his aerial prowess to be just as much of a threat as the Real Madrid star’s lethal ability with either foot.
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Boasting a strong line-up including Paul Pogba, France are heavy favorites against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
It made victory all the sweeter for France that it came against the run of play, against the odds, against the world champions and their frequent nemesis at football tournaments.
Fonte, though, may well find himself back on the Portuguese bench to make way for Real Madrid hardman Pepe, who has overcome a slight knock that kept him out of their previous encounter.
“I will be happy if they say our win tomorrow was not deserved”, Santos told a French questioner.
The country, though, is still scarred by last year’s atrocities. “It’s certainly the hardest one, but it’s well worth it to finish in a good way”. A year later, after impressing in central defense at Euro 2004, Carvalho earned a move from Porto to Chelsea. Ronaldo has waited 12 years, since Portugal lost to Greece at Euro 2004, for another shot at national glory with every major club honor now gathered.
“It makes us even prouder to be on the pitch and feel the French population behind us. The most important thing is to give the young players a chance, and the coach did”.
Older players are getting chances too from coach Fernando Santos.
At the other end of the age scale to Mario is 32-year-old Jose Fonte who has had to make the worldwide grade the hard way.
Five years ago, the defender was playing in the English third tier – the start of a rise to the Premier League with Southampton where he remains.
“I don’t need to praise Cristiano Ronaldo, everyone is familiar with him”, said the former Arsenal man, who has been an ever-present at Euro 2016. “There is a frustration at not being on it with my boots on but I can’t do that anymore”. He’s only netted six times in 37 internationals, with his solitary strike at Euro 2016 coming against unheralded Iceland.
So, when two of the most coveted football tournaments – Copa America and UEFA Euro – came calling last month, all eyes were once again on these football giants to break their global title jinx. The Portuguese aren’t trying to avoid being weighed down by the lop-sided nature of the rivalry. Kante did not return for the semifinal as Deschamps stuck with Moussa Sissoko on the right hand side and Griezmann through the center of a 4-2-3-1 but, after Germany’s dominance of possession in the first half on Thursday, the France boss has something of a selection quandry. Within a few weeks, the defending champions were back home, though the tournament could yet still end with a very notable hat-trick for hosts France.
When they returned home, the fallout was enormous and the players were loathed by the French public, who viewed them as irresponsible and selfish spoiled brats, and they were lambasted by politicians.
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“We’re very ambitious and we’re aware of our past against France”.
