Uncharacteristic Errors Doom Germany in Euro 2016 Semi-Final vs. France

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 8, 2016

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Germany's dream of becoming only the third to team to hold the World Cup and the Coupe Henri-Delaunay at the same time came to an abrupt end on Thursday night in Marseille's Stade Velodrome.

The 2-0 defeat at the hands of host nation France in the semi-final of Euro 2016 was hard to grasp, for it felt so unnecessary.

One would be hard-pressed to find someone who believes Les Bleus were the better side in the match. The world champions dictated the run of play for much of the 90 minutes but lacked that little bit of decisiveness going forward and some concentration at the back.

That's not necessarily to say France were undeserved winners, of course. The hosts rose to the occasion, playing arguably their best match of the tournament, and, unlike their opponents, they were clinical on the attack and defended consistently over the course of the match.

The French came out strongly, clearly trying to surprise a makeshift Germany side in the opening minutes of the game. In Mats Hummels, Sami Khedira and Mario Gomez, three key starters missed the match, and the World Cup holders needed a few minutes to settle in.



Head coach Joachim Low changed his system to match France's powerful midfield and included Liverpool's Emre Can in the starting XI. It was a big call, seeing as the 22-year-old had not played a single minute at the Euros to that point and never played in central midfield for the national team in his six previous caps. 

Like the team in general, it took Can a while to get settled, with some nervy touches and passes going awry in the first 10 minutes or so.

Germany were lucky France didn't capitalise on their forceful start when Antoine Griezmann and Blaise Matuidi combined through their defensive lines with ease after seven minutes. The Atletico Madrid man's effort on goal didn't match the brilliance of the move itself, and Manuel Neuer was never going to let t...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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