France celebrates its win

France look to win third major trophy on home soil

By Ed Pham

Antoine Griezmann’s rise to becoming one of the elite in as continued to climb, as he has stepped up into the spotlight at the European Championships. After notching two more goals for France against Germany in their semifinal win, he finally sets his sights on leading France to win their third trophy on home soil this Sunday at the Stade de France. To do so, they’ll look to deny Portugal their chance at winning a major trophy like Zidane and company did when the two countries met in the 2000 European Championships in the semifinals.

The road to getting to the final for France at times hasn’t exactly been a cakewalk. The struggles getting through the group stage and having to resort to last-gasp goals to seal a victory to being down against Ireland. It was to the point where Griezmann, Didier Deschamps, and the team were yelling at each other in the locker room at halftime. But when Deschamps built this team, he wanted the “best squad available.” One that could celebrate together when they’re at the best and one that could fight through their struggles together when they were at their worst. A family, so to speak.

Family is a concept Griezmann and his teammates know all too well. In November, while Griezmann was playing at the Stade de France in a friendly against Germany, Griezmann’s sister was nearly killed in terrorist attacks in France at the Bataclan while trying to catch a show. A nation mourned and a team had heavy hearts that night that the country they represented was attacked. It brought an entire nation together. Now he plays on Sunday there again with the whole nation watching. But this time, men in blue hope to get a win on Sunday, to bring joy and celebrations deep into the night for all of France.

The only team left that can stop them from lifting the Henri Delaunay Trophy is Portugal. When asked about their chances against Portugal on Friday by EURO2016.com, UEFA’s official coverage of Euro 2016, Griezmann simply said:

“No, I’d make it 50-50. […] It’s a final and anything can happen. We have to keep both feet on the ground and start working from tomorrow in order to be at our best for the final.”

While everyone has marked France as clear favorites in Sunday’s final, there’s always something interesting about finals. After losing to Real Madrid in May of the Champions League final, Griezmann knows all too well that anything is possible.

Griezmann scores from the penalty spot

If there’s a time for France to remain steadfast and disciplined in defense, this is it. Didier Deschamps showed why he trusted in center-back Samuel Umtiti with his second ever game for France against Germany. He provided key cover for the French defense like he had for his former club Lyon, getting Les Bleus out of dangerous situations and remaining calm with the ball when they had it.

It will be hard to imagine Deschamps not selecting the 22 year old against Portugal for the final alongside Laurent Koscielny. While France will look at Cristiano Ronaldo as the main target, they cannot have tunnel vision and only focus on him defensively. Nani has shown good form for Portugal this tournament, with three goals and one assist. If left unchecked, he could punish the French defense. Midfield runs from Joao Mario and Renato Sanches can be problematic as well, as they showed during their match against Wales.

Semi Final Report: France moves closer to lifting the Cup

France will look to capitalize on their attacking form and try to grab the goal against Portugal to ease any nerves they might have. It’s expected that Deschamps will continue to use his 4-2-3-1 to allow Griezmann to continue his fine form for the French attack. But with Pepe currently doubtful, Olivier Giroud will need to use his strength and hold-up play to provide for the rest of the team.

If he can create problems and bully around the Portuguese center-backs, it will give Griezmann and Payet the space to create chances and find shots on target. France will need contributions from both Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi from the midfield as well, even in the 4-2-3-1. If both midfielders can show the same form that they did against Iceland, France could find themselves showcasing their attack again and running away with the game.

Like Griezmann said in his interview, Les Bleus just need to keep their feet on the ground. The biggest threat to preventing them from winning this tournament is themselves.

With the repeated stories of the 1984 and 1998 teams winning it on home soil, this squad is expected to do the same thing and have immense pressure because of it. Didier Deschamps’ experience in winning major tournaments as a player in 1998 and 2000 will be extremely important as they prepare for Sunday’s match. He’ll need to help them stay calm and focused on the task at hand and let nothing else distract them.

France’s slogan coming into this Euro 2016 campaign was “Fiers d’être Bleus,” meaning “Proud to be Blue.” It’s been quite the journey for Les Bleus and their fans. From Payet’s amazing strike in the opening match of the tournament to the second half comeback against Ireland to excising their demons against Germany in a major competition. But now, it’s time for the host nation to show that they are truly proud to be French and lift the Henri DeLaunay trophy at the Stade de France with a victory on Sunday.

France

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