What a game ! L‘French team is roughed up in its round of 16 of Euro 2021 by Switzerland, who opened the scoring. The Blues then equalized, before taking back control of the meeting thanks to a double from Benzema then a superb skylight by Paul Pogba.
But the Nati came back to equality just before the end of regulation time and pushed France into overtime.
Follow the end of the match live.
France wants to chase away the physical worries, the doubts born of a contrasted start to the Euro and the threat of Switzerland on Monday (9 p.m.) in Bucharest in the round of 16, with the hope of reaching an assured quarter, against Spain or Croatia, opposed to Copenhagen (6 p.m.).
In the aftermath of the elimination of Portugal from Cristiano Ronaldo, defending champion, against Belgium (1-0), and the surprise ousting of the Netherlands against the Czech Republic (2-0), the other favorites are warned: the ax can fall anytime in this decidedly atypical Euro, with its unprecedented format in eleven cities in eleven countries.
Before the highly anticipated England-Germany, Tuesday at Wembley, other top names can also bite the dust on Monday, either in Copenhagen between the young Roja
and the selection of the 2018 Luka Modric Golden Ball, in Bucharest with the French world champions.
Summits against the big names of the continent, the France team has already played two in the group stage, against Germany (1-0) and Portugal (2-2). Out victorious from death group
, the Blues have fulfilled their initial objective and find at the start of the knockout phase a well-known opponent who has not beaten them since 1992.
READ ALSO. France – Switzerland: to kill boredom, nothing better than an adventure
We are now switching to a new competition. In the approach it’s completely different
, underlined the captain Hugo Lloris Sunday.
The goalkeeper of the Blues knows Switzerland for having dominated it 5-2 during the World Cup-2014, a match in which Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud, the return and the replacement of 2021, had scored.
Hernandez remis ?
The context this time is very different: the Born
has had eight days of rest to prepare for this summit, with the hope of signing a feat that would allow the country to break its glass ceiling after three consecutive knockouts in the round of 16 in major tournaments.
The French, exhausted by two matches played in the heat wave in Budapest, tried to limit fatigue and optimize recovery
, says the coach Didier Deschamps who recognized that “the organizations were in great demand”.
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Xhaka and the Swiss could pose big problems for the Blues. © REUTERS / DARKO VOJINOVIC
The boss of the Blues recorded a worrying cascade of physical glitches in the Hungarian capital (Lucas Digne, Jules Koundé, Marcus Thuram, Thomas Lemar).
He now hopes that his left side Lucas Hernandez, affected by persistent knee discomfort, will succeed in his race against the clock and be able to start the meeting.
Without him, Deschamps would find himself without a left-back by trade, since Digne is forfeited, but not without alternatives: he worked in training a system with three central defenders which could give Clément Lenglet his first minutes in the tournament.
READ ALSO. France team: “Lucas Hernandez should be available”, says Didier Deschamps
In attack, the triangle composed of Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappé advances to a fourth tenure in a row. Among the three gunners, only the Parisian has not yet scored at the Euro, despite a significant offensive impact.
The trio is eagerly awaited in the Romanian capital, where Mbappé’s stealthy appearances between the hotel and the team’s bus are watched by several hundred local fans, with encouragement.
Romanian fans are well served: the capacity of the National Arena has been doubled for the match where some 23,900 spectators are expected, including around 1,700 French and 600 Swiss, according to figures provided by UEFA.
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