The Blues arrived fresh and favorites in Budapest, they left very lightly roasted and a little less intimidating for the competition. Is this really a problem? Hanging on Saturday, June 19 by Hungary (1-1) by a suffocating afternoon, the French shared the points with Portugal (2-2) this Wednesday, June 23 in a Puskas Arena where the mercury refuses to drop below 30 degrees even after 9 p.m.
In this Euro 2021, the world champions advance less quickly and less nicely, for example, than an Italy repainted as a team to beat on the strength of its three victories in the first round. But not what to throw in the Danube so far. “We were satisfied with the draw. We know we have to ramp up again. We have no doubts ”, assured, at the microphone of BeIN Sports, a Paul Pogba more inspired and dashing than against Hungary.
Didier Deschamps gives him the facts when taking stock of this first round in a press conference. “There is an accounting balance sheet there, we finish first, I’m not telling you anything. “ The point is just as clinical when it recalls “That a new competition will start from the eighths”, in this case against Switzerland, Monday June 28. The main quality of this draw is to prevent the Blues from bumping into the Belgian scarecrow this Saturday and Sevilla the scorching heat by finishing third in this group F. Details that are never trivial when you want to go very far in a tournament.
But before leaving for Bucharest, there are still some lessons to be learned from Budapest and this shock against the European champion. This France-Portugal initially looked like a France-Portugal. Forget the romantic masterpiece of the Euro 1984 semi-final in Marseille (Jean Tigana behind for Platini, Fernando Chalana’s mustache and dribbling), the two countries still observe a form of mutual caution when the chance opposes them.
A history of penalties
This Euro 2021 version therefore began as a game of chess in which no one wanted of sacrifice a bishop or a tower to create an imbalance. It took Hugo Lloris involuntarily boxing Danilo Pereira’s face before the ball for the game to get carried away at the half hour mark. direct, the goalkeeper and captain comes out with a penalty and a yellow card, but the red would not have sworn in the hand of Mr. Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz.
There is the sentence executed by Cristiano Ronaldo, but also the rest. Tossed and dominated, the Blues seem stuck in management mode since their convincing victory against Germany at the very start of the tournament. Installed in a false rhythm, this team of France knows how to force the destiny even in its weak times. Before the break, Kylian Mbappé gets a penalty in the job after a slight clash with Nelson Semedo. Without trembling, Karim Benzema replied to Ronaldo (1-1) before doubling the pleasure on returning from the locker room, well served by Pogba and well helped by the returning post of Rui Patricio (2-1). France shows little, but that is enough to make the mesh and the happiness of its 7,500 supporters.
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