France beat Germany by 1-0 at Allianz Arena in the opening game of the group of death in Euro 2020.
Didier Deschamps’ side scored the solitary goal in the middle of the first after Mats Hummels put the ball in his own net. Joachim Low’s men applied pressure on Les Bleus in the second half in search of a goal, however, failed to find the equaliser.
With this victory, France go joint top in Group F with Portugal who won their opener against Hungary earlier. And Germany will have to win the next two games against Portugal and Hungary to reach the knock-out stage.
France 1-0 Germany team news:
France boss Deschamps went with 4-3-1-2 midfield diamond formation. However, without the ball, Antoine Griezmann dropped off to the midfield to help out in defence.
Meanwhile, Raphael Varane and Presnel Kimpembe started in the defence. In front of the back four N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba and Adrien Rabiot were the midfield three. Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe led the line for the World champions.
Joachim Low chose to go with 3-4-3 formation and Manuel Neuer was between the sticks. In front of him back three of Matthias Ginter, Mats Hummels and Antonio Rudiger. Thomas Muller, Kai Havertz and Serge Gnabry led the line for the Germans.
France 1-0 Germany Post-match analysis:
Germany started the game well and tried to keep the possession. However, with the ball Low’s side looked tentative and the result of that they failed to break down the French defensive wall.
Deschamps’ side came back into the game brilliantly and started to threaten the German defence midway through the first half. And they did not have to wait long to break the deadlock.
Pogba’s chip found Lucas Hernández on the left and the Bayern Munich defender’s hard cross went straight into the back of the net off Hummels’ leg. The Borussia Dortmund defender failed to sort out his leg and could not deal with the cross in time.
In the second half, France tried to sit back and hit Germany on the break. Deploying that tactic, France put the ball twice back of Germany’ net. However, on both occasions, it was ruled out for offside.
Die Mannschaft displayed much more cohesive attacking football in the second half. Low’s side had a glorious chance to find the equaliser but Gnabry saw his attempt go just over the crossbar.
Notable Performances:
Raphael Varane: The Real Madrid defender marshalled his defensive troops excellently. The 28-year-old led his team from the back and with his great display on the opening day. Deschamps can be optimistic about winning the third European Championship this time around.
Karim Benzema: Did excellent without the ball, he might not seem an effective player in this game but worked extremely hard off the ball.
Mats Hummels: Germany fans expected a lot more from him. Scoring an own goal from that situation is not a good display for an experienced player like him. However, the tackle on Mbappe at the death showed why Hummels should be in the team above everybody else.
France will be travelling to Budapest to encounter Hungary in the next game on Saturday and Germany will welcome Portugal later on the same day.
