Euro 2016: France Reaches Final by Overcoming Germany

The French national football team reached the final of the European Championship by defeating Germany 2-0. The championship match will be held on Sunday night between France and Portugal. Both goals for the Euro 2016 host were scored by Antoine Griezmann, who is now at the top of the scoring chart with six goals. Those who might catch up to him with a hat trick in the final include Dimitri Payet and Olivier Giroud from France, and Cristiano Ronaldo with Nani from Portugal. France entered the match with a lineup of Lloris, Sagna, Koscielny, Umtiti, Evra, Matuidi, Pogba, Sissoko, Payet, Griezmann, and Giroud. On the other side, Neuer, Hector, Höwedes, Schweinsteiger, Mesut Özil, Müller, Emre Can, Draxler, Boateng, Kroos, and Kimmich were the players sent onto the field by Joachim Löw. In the 45th minute, a corner from France and a header from Dimitri Payet hit Schweinsteiger's hand, resulting in a penalty. Griezmann stood behind the ball and opened the scoring against Neuer. In the second half, the German coach sent on Shkodran Mustafi due to Boateng's injury. He also brought on Mario Götze and Leroy Sané to compensate for the conceded goal. In the 72nd minute, Pogba sent a ball after Kimmich's mistake in controlling it. Neuer punched it away, but Griezmann scored France's second goal. A minute later, Kimmich took a heavy shot to make up for his mistake, which hit the post. Höwedes also had a scoring opportunity. In the final moments, Kimmich was also overwhelmed by the brilliance of Hugo Lloris. Thus, Germany failed to open France's goal, leading the 2014 World Cup champion to say goodbye to the Euro 2016 semifinals. This result plunged the city of Marseille into celebration and joy. The German coach said after his team's defeat: 'We were the better team on the field. My team had the better conditions in all duels. We were unlucky to concede a penalty. My team had everything in this game except luck, and we couldn't convert the opportunities we had into goals.' Löw continued: 'In the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, when we lost, Spain played better than us. Tonight, France was good, but we were better. I think they will become champions by defeating Portugal.' The French coach also expressed in the press conference: 'I am very happy and feel proud. We had a very tough game against the world champion. We need to think about the final match very soon. If we went crazy with happiness tonight, we will be even happier by overcoming Portugal.' Didier Deschamps continued: 'This victory is a great historic achievement. I have experienced several finals with the national team before, and this time is the first time I reach the final as the national team's coach. We do not have an easy match against Portugal in the final.'