Host nation France will meet Portugal in the Euro 2016 final at the expense of Germany after a 2-0 victory, thanks to a magnificent counter-attacking display at the Stade Velodrome.
Goals either side of the interval from Antoine Griezmann inspired Les Bleus to a first final at a major tournament since 2006, sending the Germans crashing out of the tournament.
Griezmann came close to opening the scoring after seven minutes combining brilliantly with Blaise Matuidi only to see his tame strike parried by Manuel Neuer.
Moments later Emre Can, who made his tournament debut, forced Hugo Lloris into an excellent save with a bouncing volleyed attempt.
But despite Germany’s first-half dominance, it was the hosts who took the lead when Bastian Schweinsteiger seemingly punched the ball from a corner, allowing Griezmann to clinically dispatch the ensuing penalty.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
The second-half was a mirror image of the first, with the reigning world champions ruling possession while Les Bleus looked to exploit on the break.
Griezmann completed his brace, prodding home after Neuer failed to clear his lines from Paul Pogba’s inviting cross.
France again perform on home soil
After winning both the 1984 Euros and 1998 World Cup on home turf, France will be hoping for the same come Sunday against Portugal. They consistently rise to the occasion in front of their home supporters and are not deterred by the pressure and weight of expectation. The spirited win over the four-time world champions was their first triumph since 1958 over Germany in a competitive game after losing three straight times.
Another positive omen was the fact France had lost just one of its previous 12 games at the Velodrome – victorious on eight occasions. Therefore, it is no surprise they came to fore in Marseille to produce a gallant display, having endured little possession. They now face Portugal at the Stade de France in what will be a fascinating battle.
Germany unable to convert dominance into goals
Despite all of Die Mannschaft’s possession and territorial dominance for large periods of the match, it was France who took the lead at the end of the first-half. Ironically it was a second consecutive penalty Joachim Low’s side had conceded, not to dissimilar from Jerome Boateng’s handball against Italy in the quarter-finals. During the first 45, the Germans controlled proceedings especially high up the park, suffocating its opponents.
Their efforts were largely in vain as they could not overcome a resolute defence and their lack of a true number nine proved costly in Mario Gomez’s absence. Thomas Muller’s disappointing campaign continued as he was entrusted to lead the line, but was rather ineffective. Mario Gotze and Leroy Sane were also thrown on in the hope of salvaging the game, but they were unable to breach a solid back-four. Gloveman Hugo Lloris and centre-backs Laurent Koscielny and Samuel Umtiti were immense at stifling the likes of Muller.
Antoine Griezmann should be crowned player of the tournament
The diminutive Atletico Madrid forward again delivered with a sensational performance, involved in every attacking move in some capacity. After calmly slotting his penalty to give France the lead, he increased his tally to five goals. He was energetic, dynamic and linked up well with his teammates.
The former Real Sociedad man then netted his second and sixth of the campaign after capitalising on Neuer’s partial clearance. That goal placed him three clear of his nearest rivals and will more than likely finish as the competition’s top scorer. His impressive haul of six goals means the 25-year-old is just the second player to score more than five times at the Euros, after Michel Platini found the back-of-the-net on nine occasions in 1984.
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