A classic, for the French start in the European Championship. Kick-off 9 p.m.
Monday morning, the France team landed in Munich. In search of a third European crown (1984, 2000), the Blues were greeted there by the sun and a fragrance apart. That of major meetings, shocks for the future and often for history.
France-Germany, this Tuesday evening, is an opening meeting for Group F but a final before the hour between the last two world champions and two nations whose clashes always precede – or almost – the glory of one of them. A madeleine as a starter before the feast, Hungary at home, Portugal and then all the rest, if there is any.
“It is important but not decisive since there will remain two matches (in pools)”, Didier Deschamps quickly relaxed yesterday, with his legendary pragmatism. But not to us “DD”. Not for us, children of Seville and of this World Cup-1982 forever registered in the collective imagination of a Hexagon still bitter about the Schumacher attack on Battiston and the defeat at the end of the Andalusian night. Not to us, kids of the Maracana and the 2014 World Cup, left on a head of Hummels and the tears of Griezmann.
Ah, the Vélodrome de Marseille five years ago …
Since then, Marseille, “Grizou” and this semi-final of Euro-2016 have reversed the values, recalling that football is played at 11 but that in the end the French can also beat their best enemies. Even not outrageously dominating, which is also very German. And it is all this that you will have to remember in the evening.
“France-Germany, it brings back good memories and less good. It’s a classic”, summarized Hugo Lloris. Classic, this meeting has never been so aptly named. The two nations have already faced each other 31 times and no less than 7 times since the start of Deschamps’ mandate in 2012.
German revenge, the French experience
An enchanted era with the Basque who brought France from the cellar of a dam facing Ukraine to the roof of the world, a well-known social promotion for the coach. He had lived it, player then captain, on the ashes of a World-94 watched on TV before a semi-final at Euro-96, a world title (1998) then a continental coronation (2000).
“But I’m not going to use that, as I had not used the 1998 World Cup to prepare for 2018, he still swept yesterday. At no time will I refer to my old life as a player. The situations and the opponents are not the same, even if all the experience is good to take. “
There is no shortage of German cousins, either. Triple winners of the event (1972, 80, 96), triple finalists (76, 92, 2008), they know the recipe. But she lost her on the path to glory, eliminated in the first round of the last Russian World Cup, that of the Blues.
With Euro-2016, their revenge is threefold and first of all on themselves, the wounded pride of the king who has once again become a simple subject. In search of its luster, even if it means recycling old tubes, from Müller to Hummels, and “playing dirty”, as Mannschaft defender Antonio Rüdiger suggested.
“Everyone fights with their weapons, we are playing our football together,” Kylian Mbappé replied. After the “trifles” with Giroud, the striker returns to the field. In a theater up to the promises of its agreement with Benzema and Griezmann.
“The staff has grown,” promises Cap’tain Lloris
In 2018, the Blues arrived in Russia escorted by the same hopes. The stars were missing. And Australia, timidly beaten 2-1, had reminded them free of charge that the stars deserve. Germany will be less docile. “But the workforce has grown in three years, promised Lloris. It’s up to us to write our history.” It (re) starts tonight.
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