Germany‘s players were so preoccupied with France‘s formidable front three they forgot to close down Paul Pogba, track Lucas Hernandez’s lung-busting charge on the left and in Mats Hummels’ case, sort out his feet in time to avoid shanking the ball into his own net.
Even when Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann aren’t hurting you directly, their mere presence on the pitch is enough to strike panic into the minds and muscles of even the most experienced and decorated of defenders. Hummels’ own goal condemned the 2014 world champions to defeat against their successors in Russia.
Hummels’ name was the one on the scoresheet, but had he not tried to intervene it would have been Mbappe’s anyway. A goalscorer of Mbappe’s reputation does not pass up chances like that, especially after a 42-goal season in club football.
Tot up Mbappe’s PSG’s total in 2020-21 up with Benzema’s numbers for Real Madrid and Griezmann’s for Barcelona and France’s starting front three had 102 overall. It’s no wonder Hummels spent the evening with the expression of a man questioning his life choices after accepting Jogi Low’s invitation to rejoin the national team setup following a three-year hiatus.
Germany’s defenders perhaps would have expected more hairy moments over the course of the 90 minutes than they ended up having, but this new-look French front three showed enough glimpses of their collective ability to worry the rest of the field at Euro 2020.
They came alive for the first time after 17 minutes. Griezmann received possession after a determined, driving run from Adrien Rabiot and then fed Mbappe on the left, who dipped infield and smashed a low shot towards the bottom corner which was diverted behind by one of Manuel Neuer’s giant paws.
Then came the moment of the match midway through the second period: an offside goal from Mbappe.
Pogba, the fourth galactico of this all-star French ensemble, angled a cute pass into Mbappe’s stride and he tiptoed menacingly into the area towards Joshua Kimmich, before checking once, checking twice and then effortlessly stroking the ball into the far corner with all of the panache of his country’s all-time top-scorer, Thierry Henry.
Alas, it will be consigned to the “great goals that never were” scrapheap, alongside Frank Lampard’s lob in Bloemfontein, Peter Schmeichel’s acrobatics for Manchester United at Selhurst Park in 1997 and the one Nani comically nicked off Cristiano Ronaldo against Spain. Exceptions should really be made to mundane, conventional laws like “offside” when goals of such artistry occur.
Not long after, Mbappe made Hummels look like he was running in treacle as he raced clear of him despite giving him a 10-yard headstart. Only a desperate last-ditch challenge from the Dortmund centre back prevented him from sprinting through on goal, although he seemed to clip Mbappe’s ankles first before nudging the ball to safety.
Deschamps has often faced criticism for adopting a pragmatic approach despite the abundance of attacking talent at his disposal and it was notable that after Germany gave them a headstart, France began their retreat. Germany dominated the ball, having 62 per cent of it and France’s best player on the night was a Real Madrid defender – the imperious Raphael Varane – rather than a Real Madrid, Barcelona or PSG striker.
What a goal… that would have been ????
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 15, 2021
Mbappe finishes sumptuously – but the #FRA forward was offside in the build-up#ITVFootball | #Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/8KLFs3aT0U
Nevertheless, France’s backline is so difficult to breach – this was their fifth consecutive clean sheet – that they are able to play cautious, tournament football, safe in the knowledge that they can blitz opponents on the counter when the opportunity presents itself. So it happened here, with Griezmann and Pogba combining to free Mbappe, this time down the right, to square for Benzema to convert at the back post.
It was a devastatingly rapid move that tore Germany’s defence to ribbons, but once more an offside call came to their rescue, this time via a VAR intervention. Mbappe’s knee was fractionally offside and had Pogba released his pass a second sooner, France would have been celebrating a second and a good job, well done.
It hardly mattered. France won comfortably anyway. If they can cruise past Germany without Mbappe, Griezmann or Benzema getting in on the act, imagine how unstoppable they will when they do.
More from i on Euro 2020
- In praise of Emma Hayes, the best pundit at Euro 2020 so far
- Eriksen collapse has thrown a spotlight on football’s relentless thirst for more
- ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ showing he has perfect blend of silk and steel to be a star
- Where Schick’s strike against Scotland ranks among greatest Euros goals
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3vtr9hB
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