Chapter 544: France's crazy counterattack, Griezmann's performance
At the end of the first half, the Spanish team launched a small offensive climax.
The French were trapped in their own 30-meter area and were passively beaten. If the referee had not blew the whistle to end the first half and saved their lives, many fans suspected that they would have been crushed by this wave of Spanish offensive.
The French team, which was two goals behind and had one player sent off, breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the whistle at the end of the first half. Many players even collapsed to the ground due to exhaustion, gasping for breath.
This kind of game not only consumes physical strength, but also mental strength. After only playing half a game, many players are already exhausted.
Seeing their players in such a miserable state, the French fans in the stands were all worried.
The situation was so unfavorable to them that the fans could not be optimistic at all.
In the home team's locker room, after all the players came back, Deschamps stood in the middle of the locker room with his hands on his hips and glanced at the players.
As expected, the players' faces were filled with frustration.
As for Pogba, who made a big mistake, he was sitting alone in the corner, with his head down, not daring to even look at him.
Pogba, who has calmed down, has realized how much disaster his irrational behavior on the field has brought to the team.
If it weren't for his foul, the French team would not have been one man short, and there wouldn't even have been the subsequent goal scored by Lin Quan!
Having made such a huge mistake in such a crucial game, Pogba could already guess how the fans and media reporters would blame him.
Deschamps saw Pogba sitting alone in the corner, and his eyes, which had been slightly sharp, gradually became gentle.
Pogba is a player he is very optimistic about. Deschamps feels that Pogba can support the French team's midfield, just like his predecessor Zidane did.
Therefore, as early as three years ago, when Pogba was only 20 years old, he called him into the national team and gave him plenty of playing opportunities.
The last time Pogba was sent off with a red card 2 minutes after coming on as a substitute, Deschamps did not blame Pogba, but excused him: "He just made the mistakes that young people often make. We should be more patient with young people!"
When asked by reporters whether Deschamps regretted letting Pogba play and causing France to lose, Deschamps firmly denied it:
"I don't regret starting Pogba. Although he is very young, his talent is obvious to the naked eye. In the future, he will definitely become one of the best players on the planet."
"As for losing to Spain, I don't think it's Pogba's fault. It's the joint responsibility of me as a coach and the entire team. The level of this game is no different from the Champions League final and the World Cup final. We are facing the best team in the world."
Now thinking back to what he said three years ago, Deschamps feels a little helpless.
Pogba has indeed grown a lot, and the sky-high transfer fee of 100 million euros is enough to prove his strength.
However, compared with Lin Quan's growth in Spain, his growth seems to be far inferior to the other.
The 20-year-old Pogba received a red card for an uncalm foul. He can use excuses such as the young player's lack of match experience and immature mentality as an excuse.
But now, Pogba, who is already 23 years old, after three or four years of professional career in top clubs, is still so reckless on the field and does things without thinking, which is really difficult to evaluate.
In fact, Spain's core player Lin Quan is three years younger than Pogba, but there is a world of difference between the two in terms of mentality.
If Pogba's mentality could be more mature and his attitude on the field more positive, the French team under him would only become stronger.
But unfortunately, at least in this European Cup, they have no chance.
Deschamps withdrew his gaze from Pogba and turned to look at Griezmann, who played diligently and even desperately in this game.
"Antoine, the team needs you to step up and do more in the second half!"
When Griezmann heard the coach call his name, he immediately stood up and answered without hesitation: "No problem, coach, please tell me what to do!"
"We need to add some changes to our offense in the second half. I need you to do this..."
Deschamps took out the tactical board and demonstrated the tactical arrangements for Griezmann on it.
Griezmann listened very carefully, nodding in agreement from time to time and asking a few questions.
"Antoine, you have a heavy responsibility in the second half. In the frontcourt, you must cooperate with Giroud to run, press the opponent's ball holder, put pressure on the opponent as much as possible, and don't give the opponent a comfortable chance to pass the ball forward!"
This requirement is not only for Griezmann and Giroud, but also for all other players.
After the first half of the game, the 10 players on the field have all experienced the Spanish team's powerful passing and control.
Spain's characteristic is that the passing and control in the midfield and backcourt are very stable. After the ball is stably transmitted to the frontcourt, people like Lin Quan and David Silva who are good at passing the ball and have strong breakthrough ability suddenly speed up the rhythm and break the situation.
In order to curb the opponent's attack, it is necessary to limit the passing points of the Spanish midfield and backcourt, so that they can receive the ball with their backs turned as much as possible every time. In this way, it will be more difficult for them to pass the ball forward.
Deschamps' intention was to force the opponent to attack from the flanks, using the space and terrain limitations on both sides of the center line to block the opponent's attack outside the dangerous area.
If the French team still had 11 players, it would not be difficult to do this.
But now the French team has only 10 people. To achieve this level, the players need to significantly increase their running and make up for the disadvantage in numbers with more active and diligent running.
This will require the players to make considerable sacrifices, but fortunately the team's average age is not too old and their physical condition should be able to barely meet the requirements.
Moreover, Griezmann, who has the heaviest workload, did a lot of such work when he was at Atletico Madrid, so he should be able to adapt to it quickly.
After arranging the tasks for all the players, Deschamps clapped his hands and said to the players:
"Okay, all the tactics have been explained. Now it depends on your performance. Go ahead, don't let yourself down, and don't let down the fans who support you!"
…
Compared with the French team's locker room, the atmosphere in the Spanish locker room is obviously much more relaxed.
After praising the players heavily, Bosque began to arrange the tactics for the second half.
"The opponent has fewer players than us, so we must make the most of our numerical advantage and continue to strengthen our wing attack in the second half. Fabregas must actively move forward and look for opportunities to shoot from outside the penalty area!"
"Lin is in very good shape in this game. If there is a chance to get a set piece, you can try more!"
After the explanation, Bosque stood at the door of the locker room and high-fived every player leaving the locker room:
"Go ahead, kids, win this game and go for our third consecutive European Cup title!"
…
After the start of the second half, both teams chose to continue to strengthen their attacks on the flanks.
Although they were at a numerical disadvantage, the French team did not play conservatively at all, and looked ready to fight Spain to the end.
Seeing the French team's brave performance, the French fans in the stands were greatly encouraged and started to cheer for the team again by beating drums and gongs.
The Spanish players did not take the opponent's attack seriously at first. After all, at the beginning of the first half, the French also tried to launch an attack. In their view, this was just the opponent's usual routine.
Once Spain thwarted their initial attack, they quickly retreated.
Therefore, in their own offensive round, they resolutely implemented Bosque's arrangements in the locker room. The players in the backcourt actively pressed forward and participated in the attack, trying to use the advantage in numbers to completely crush the French team.
However, five minutes later, the French team's attack still showed no sign of stopping. Their players were running all over the field like tireless machines, putting enormous pressure on the Spanish players who had the ball.
In the 55th minute of the second half, Spain's attack failed again and France took the opportunity to launch a quick attack.
Busquets used his experience to block the position in advance and stopped Griezmann who was dribbling forward with the ball.
Professor Bu had just finished stealing the ball and was about to pass it to his teammate, but unexpectedly another French player who suddenly rushed over snatched the ball away.
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The one who stole the ball from Busquets' feet was none other than Griezmann who actively chased back after losing the ball.
Griezmann's interception was very crucial.
After seeing Busquets' successful defense, the Spanish players stopped retreating and ran towards the French team's half. At this time, Busquets was intercepted and most of the Spanish players were stranded in the opponent's half and could not return in a short time.
The only two central defenders standing in front of Griezmann were Ramos and Pique.
Griezmann just took a quick look and then rushed forward with the ball.
The opponent is dribbling the ball too fast, and if it is not blocked, it will soon reach the dangerous area near the penalty area.
Thinking of this, Pique took the initiative to step forward and tried to stop Griezmann.
Griezmann did not try to get past Pique, but instead passed the ball diagonally in front of him before the opponent rushed up and gave the ball to Giroud.
Giroud was blocked by Ramos and couldn't turn around and shoot, so he immediately passed the ball back to Griezmann.
Giroud's pass was very clever. He did not pass the ball directly to Griezmann, but passed it to the front, giving Griezmann the opportunity to speed up and get rid of the defender.
Griezmann is much shorter than Pique, which makes him faster and more flexible.
Although Pique tried his best to use his body to block the ball and took action with his hands, he still couldn't stop Griezmann from slipping past him before he completed the turn.
Griezmann, who had shaken off Pique, received the ball on the edge of the penalty area and had an excellent chance to score a goal alone.
Casillas decisively chose to attack, trying to block the opponent's shooting angle.
Griezmann was faster than him and chose to shoot into the far corner the moment Casillas moved.
Although Casillas made a save in the first time with his excellent reaction speed, Griezmann's shot was at a too tricky angle, and he tried his best but still failed to block it.
In the 56th minute of the second half, the French team pulled one back with Griezmann's goal, and the score became 2:1. Griezmann's goal came at the right time for the French team! The disadvantage in numbers and the score behind had a great impact on the morale and confidence of the French team.
If the French team doesn't score again, and the time is delayed for another ten minutes, the French players may completely lose confidence, and then the Spanish team can just sit back and wait for victory.
However, at this critical moment of less than 60 minutes, Griezmann scored a goal.
This greatly encouraged the French players: We can still score, we still have time, and we really have a chance to win the game! Although the French team is still behind in the score, Griezmann's goal alone has completely restored the morale of the French team.
The French fans in the stands celebrated wildly like crazy, and in the coaching booth, Deschamps' performance was crazier than ever.
On the field, Griezmann, who scored the goal, was already surrounded by his teammates, celebrating in ecstasy.
Compared with the high morale of their opponents, the morale of the Spanish players suffered a considerable blow.
"This ball is my fault. I didn't protect it well!"
Busquets took the initiative to stand up and apologize to his teammates. If he had not noticed Griezmann behind him, the ball would not have been lost.
"It doesn't matter. We are still ahead in the score. I have the advantage. We just need to play well from now on!"
Veterans such as Ramos and Casillas came out to comfort the players, although they did not have a good relationship with the Barcelona players when they were at the club.
But when we get to the national team, we are all brothers in the same trench, so naturally we have to point our guns together and not act arrogantly at home, especially at such a critical moment.
The comfort from his teammates made Busquets feel better.
He decided to play more seriously and harder in the next game.
This goal scored by the French team did not completely alert the Spanish team. After all, they still had a huge advantage.
But when the game resumed, when all the French players attacked them tirelessly and more frantically than before, the Spanish people felt the pressure.
The opponent has already gained full momentum. If we don't suppress his momentum, the result will be very bad if we continue to kick like this.
If a team plays crazy, anything can happen.
And now, the French team is in this state.
Although they only had 10 players, they were able to overpower the Spanish team which had 11 players.
Their players not only fought aggressively, but also became more decisive when attacking in the frontcourt. They dared to make many combinations that they had not dared to make before, and they dared to pass the ball that they had not dared to pass before.
Even the quality of their shots is improving, especially Griezmann.
This guy seemed to be on a roll, running rampant down Spain's left side, unstoppable!
(End of this chapter)