HomeUEFA EuroLES BLEUS EMERGE VICTORIOUS

LES BLEUS EMERGE VICTORIOUS

By Shreyas Rai

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France Germany

Two footballing heavyweights bickered in a marquee Tuesday night fixture as the former world champions welcomed the reigning world champions at Allianz Arena.The match between Germany and France was the most highly anticipated match from the first round of fixtures.

 

 

After Portugal had opened their account demolishing Hungry 3-0, France and Germany were eager to finish on the winning side. With Group-F being deemed as the group of death each match had its importance and three points became a necessity.

 

 

The fact that among the 22 players on the team sheet only three players didn’t have a World Cup medal or a Champions League medal on their mantle spoke volumes about the quality on display.

 

France dominated the initial parts of the game commanding the midfield. Kroos and Gundogan were rarely given space by Kante and Pogba. The Manchester United midfield maestro, Paul Pogba was running the show as it was his cross-field pass that broke the shackles in the 20th minute.

A beautiful ball over the top of the German defenders to find Hernandez who played a devastating low-cross into the mix as Hummels turned the ball into his net. France was the team leading the game but the German replied almost instantly.

 

Two freekicks by Kroos, a few snatched shots by Gnabry, and some sneaky runs could have troubled Lloris. Although the two teams went into the tunnel with Les Bleus ruling Die Mannschaft 1-0.

 

 

The German team that faced France in the second half were the opposite of the troops battling in the second half. Keeping the ball in the French territory, they asked some challenging questions from the world Champions.

 

 

Although France occasionally sneaked in from behind finding some spaces to operate their magic in. The German team had a few chances but unfortunately never registered themselves on the scoreline. Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema both disrupted the German goal only to be called offside and Adrien Rabiot’s crack at goal was hindered by the post.

 

Not a dominant performance by Didier Deschamps’ team but a 1-0 victory in their opening game against Germany in a difficult group is a fruitful result.

FRANCE BREAK THE DEADLOCK

It was the Euro 2016 runners up who opened the scoring on Tuesday. A dynamic first-half display as France were constantly knocking on Manuel Neuer’s goal. Both Mbappe and Benzema were often putting the German shot-stopper under the scanner. Deschamps’ Blue army was dominating the middle of the park, overshadowing the German strikers, and was producing the perfect strikes for Neuer to deal with. Unfortunately, the world champions failed to disturb the scoreline as the score remained 0-0.

 

 

Finally, France’s hard work paid off when they found the back of the net in the 20th minute of the game. Paul Pogba played a quick one-two with his teammate before scooping the ball to Hernandez. The Bayern Munich fullback was in acres of space as he steamed forward trying to play a thunderous cross inside the box for the running Mbappe. Mats Hummels stepped in to block the shot but to his disbelief, the German smashed the ball into his net.

 

 

The Borussia Dortmund centre-back stumbled on his knees as he couldn’t believe what had happened. If Hummels wouldn’t have stepped in it could have fallen to the deadly French striker Kylian Mbappe. But Hummel’s touch threw Neuer out of the equation as the veteran keeper could just see the ball nestling into the roof of the goal. In just a handful of matches, a total of 3 own-goals have been scored in Euro 2020 already equalling the 2016 stat.

 

SORRY! FORGOT MY STRIKING BOOTS AT HOME

 

The encounter in Munich was expected to be a goal-scoring feast. Mbappe, Griezmann and Benzema were leading the French attacking line while Gnabry, Muller and Havertz donned the German outfit. With electrifying attackers exhibiting their talent, Lloris and Neuer could have had a long night. But to everyone’s surprise, none of the goalkeepers was troubled in any way.

 

 

Both Germany and France created their share of opportunities but lacked the finishing quality. Neuer in the first half and Lloris in the second were usually just catching the balls without any pressure from their rivals. Les Bleus smashed just 4 shots with only one finding the target whereas the Germans hit 9 and only a single one was in the frame.

 

https://twitter.com/FootTheBall/status/1404883402835185664

 

The fact that the only goal of the game was an own-goal explains the poor outing the strikers had. Kylian Mbappe finished a perfect French move with a beautiful curving goal but was adjudged offside by the officials. Rabiot’s thumping strike rattled against the post and Serge Gnabry kicked the ball above the French goal. That’s the closest the two armies came and with Champions League and World Cup winners showcasing their worth, it’s difficult to think why the strikers couldn’t disturb the scorers more than once.

 

A 22-YEAR-OLD FRENCH PRODIGY RULING THE WORLD

 

A young striker carrying the weights of a whole nation on his young shoulders, Kylian Mbappe has gone from strength to strength playing under Didier Deschamps. The PSG attacker has converted the French team into an undefeatable force constantly dominating his opposite numbers. With France being potted in the group of death, Mbappe had a daunting task ahead of him. With an offside goal and assist under his belt, Mbappe troubled the German defenders for 90 minutes.

 

 

Running at the villain of the game Mats Hummels, the 22-year-old turned him inside-out twice or thrice. The perfect moment came when the youngster beautifully curved the ball beating Manuel Neuer. Although the Frenchman’s ecstatic celebrations were cut short when the officials raised the flag quite correctly. With a beautiful play-making ability in his bag, Mbappe once again produced a magical ball for Benzema who had an open net to shoot at, which he did quite comfortably.

 

 

The world felt that Munich was conquered, but a VAR review suggested that Mbappe was once again standing in an illegal position. An inch-perfect ball to Rabiot which hit the post, a loving connection with Benzema, and a headache for Hummels, Mbappe will surely cherish his outing in Munich.

Shreyas Rai

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