Chapter 544 France’s crazy counterattack, Griezmann’s performance

At the end of the first half, the Spanish team set off an offensive climax.

The French were pinned within their own 30-meter zone and were beaten passively. If the referee hadn't blown the whistle to end the first half and saved their lives, many fans would have suspected that they would have been beaten by Spain. The offensive was crushed.

The French team, which was two goals behind and had one player sent off, breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the whistle that ended the first half. Many players even collapsed to the ground from exhaustion, gasping for air. .

Such a game not only consumes physical strength, but also consumes a lot of spirit. After only playing for half a time, many players were already exhausted.

Seeing the miserable appearance of their own players, every French fan in the stands was worried.

The situation is so unfavorable for them that fans cannot be optimistic at all.

In the home team's locker room, Deschamps waited for all the players to come back, then stood in the middle of the locker room with his hands on his hips and glanced at the players.

Not surprisingly, the expressions on the players' faces were full of frustration.

As for Pogba, who had made a big mistake, he was sitting alone in the corner with his head lowered, not even daring to look at him.

Pogba, who calmed down, already knew how much disaster his irrational behavior on the field had brought to the team.

If it hadn't been for his foul, the French team would not have missed one player, and there would not even have been a follow-up Lin Quan's goal!

For making such a huge mistake in such a crucial game, Pogba can already guess how the fans and media reporters will scold himself.

Deschamps saw Pogba sitting alone in the corner, and his originally sharp eyes gradually softened.

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 early and gave him a lot of opportunities to play.

The last time Pogba was sent off with a red card just 2 minutes after coming on as a substitute, Deschamps did not criticize Pogba harshly, but instead excused him:

"He just made the mistakes that young people often make. We should be more patient with young people!"

When reporters asked Deschamps if he regretted letting Pogba play and causing the French team to lose, Deschamps firmly denied:

"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 the loss to Spain, I don't think this is Pogba's responsibility. It is the joint responsibility of me as the coach and the entire team. And the level of this game is no different from the Champions League final or the World Cup final. What we are facing is The best team in the world.”

Now that I think back to what I said three years ago, Deschamps feels 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 that of the other side.

The 20-year-old Pogba received a red card for an uncool foul. It can be excused as the young player's lack of game experience and immature mentality.

But now, the 23-year-old Pogba, after three or four years of his career with a top club, is still so reckless on the court and does things without thinking. This is really difficult to evaluate.

In total, Spain's core Lin Quan is 3 years younger than Pogba, but there is a world of difference in mentality between the two.

If Pogba's mentality could be more mature and his attitude on the court more positive, the French team under him would only become stronger.

But unfortunately, at least this European Cup, they have no chance.

Deschamps withdrew his gaze from Pogba and turned to look at Griezmann, who had performed diligently and even desperately in this game.

"Antoine, the team needs you to stand up and do more in the second half!"

When Griezmann heard the head coach call his name, he immediately stood up and replied without hesitation:

"No problem coach, please tell me what to do!"

"We need to add a little variety to our offense in the second half, and I need you to do that..."

Deschamps took out his tactical board and drew the tactical arrangements for Griezmann on it.

Griezmann listened very carefully, nodding in agreement and asking a few questions from time to time.

"Antoine, you have a heavy responsibility in the second half. When you are in the frontcourt, you have to cooperate with Giroudeau's running, press the opponent's ball carrier, put pressure on the opponent as much as possible, and don't give the opponent a chance to pass the ball forward comfortably! "

This request is not only issued to Griezmann and Giroud, but also to all other players.

After the first half of the game, these 10 players on the field have already experienced the Spanish team's strong passing and control.

The characteristic of Spain is that the passing and control in the midfield and backfield are very stable. After the stable transmission to the frontcourt, people like Lin Quan and David Silva in the frontcourt who are good at passing and have strong breakthrough ability suddenly speed up the pace. , to break the situation.

To curb the opponent's attack, it is necessary to restrict the ball release points of Spain's midfield and backcourt, so that when they receive the ball, they can catch the ball with their backs every time as much as possible. In this way, they have to move forward. Conduction will be more difficult.

Deschamps' intention is to force the opponent to attack from the wings, using the space and terrain restrictions on both sides of the wing near the center line to block the opponent's attack from the dangerous area.

If the French team still has 11 people, it will not be difficult to do this.

But now there are only 10 people in the French team. To achieve this level, the players need to significantly increase their running and use more active and diligent running to make up for the numerical disadvantage.

This requires the players to make a lot of sacrifices. Fortunately, the average age of the team is not too old, and the physical condition should barely meet the requirements.

And Griezmann, who has the heaviest task, did this kind of work a lot when he was at Atletico Madrid, so he should be able to adapt to it quickly.

After arranging the tasks of all the players, Deschamps finally clapped his hands and said to the players:

"Okay, all the tactics have been explained. Now it depends on your performance. Go ahead and 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 Bosque praised the players, he began to arrange the tactics for the second half.

"The opponent has fewer people than us, so we must take advantage of the numerical advantage as much as possible and continue to strengthen the attack on the wing in the second half. When attacking, Xiaofa must actively intervene and look for long-range shots from outside the penalty area!"

"Lin is in very good shape in this game. If you have 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 who left the locker room:

"Go, kids, win this game and challenge for our third consecutive European Cup!"

…

After the start of the second half, both teams chose to continue to strengthen the attack on the wing.

Although they were at a numerical disadvantage, the French team did not play conservatively at all, as if they wanted to open up their posture and attack Spain to the end.

Seeing the French team's brave performance, the French fans in the stands were greatly encouraged and beat the gongs and drums again to support the team.

The Spanish players did not take the opponent's offense 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.

After Spain thwarted their opening attack, they would quickly retreat.

Therefore, in their own offensive round, they resolutely implemented Del Bosque's arrangements in the locker room. The players in the backcourt actively pressed forward and participated in the attack, trying to use their numerical advantage to completely crush the French team.

However, five minutes later, the French team's offense still showed no intention of stopping. Their players were like tireless machines, running all over the field, putting huge pressure on the Spanish players holding the ball.

In the 55th minute of the second half, Spain's attack once again failed, and the French team took the opportunity to launch a fast break.

Busquets relied on his experience to get stuck in position in advance and blocked Griezmann who was advancing with the ball.

Professor Bu had just finished stealing the ball and was about to pass it to his teammates, but unexpectedly the ball was snatched away by another French player who suddenly rushed over.

The person who completed the steal from Busquets was none other than Griezmann who actively pursued after losing the ball.

Griezmann's steal is very crucial.

After seeing Busquets' successful defense, the Spanish players began to stop retreating and instead ran towards the French team's half. At this time, Busquets was intercepted, and most of the Spanish players stayed in the opponent's half. , I won’t be able to come back in a short time.

The only two central defenders standing in front of Griezmann are Ramos and Pique.

Griezmann just took a quick glance and then immersed himself in dribbling the ball forward.

The opponent dribbles the ball too fast. If it is not blocked, it will soon hit the dangerous area near the penalty area.

Thinking of this, Pique took the initiative and tried to stop Griezmann.

Griezmann did not try to get past Pique, but before the opponent rushed forward, he pushed the ball diagonally in front of him and handed the ball to Giroud.

Giroud was blocked by Ramos and could not turn around to shoot, so he immediately passed the ball back to Griezmann.

Giroud passed the ball very smartly. He did not go directly to Griezmann, but passed it forward, giving Griezmann a chance to speed up and get rid of the defender.

Griezmann is much shorter than Pique, which makes him faster and more agile.

Although Pique tried his best to get in position with his body and moved his hands, he still couldn't stop Griezmann from slipping past him before he completed his turn.

Griezmann, who got rid of Pique, received the ball in the penalty area and got an excellent one-on-one opportunity.

Casillas decisively chose to attack, trying to block the opponent's shooting angle.

But Griezmann moved faster than him. The moment Casillas just moved, he chose to push into the far corner.

Although Casillas made the save immediately with his excellent reaction speed, the angle of Griezmann's shot was too tricky. He tried his best but still failed to stop it.

The French team got back one in the 56th minute of the second half with Griezmann's goal, and the score became 2:1.

Griezmann's goal came too timely for the French team!

The numerical disadvantage and the lagging score have greatly affected the morale and confidence of the French.

If the French team does not score a goal, and the time is delayed for another ten minutes, the French players may completely lose confidence, and the Spanish team will be able to wait for the victory.

However, at this critical time point in less than 60 minutes, Griezmann scored.

This greatly encouraged the French players: we can still score goals, we still have time, and we really have a chance to win the game!

Although the French team is still lagging behind in the current score, Griezmann's goal alone has completely restored the morale of the French team.

The French fans in the stands celebrated like crazy. On the coaching bench, Deschamps' performance was crazier than ever.

On the court, Griezmann, the hero of the goal, was already surrounded by his teammates, celebrating selflessly.

Compared with the high morale of the opponents, the morale of the Spanish team's players has taken a big hit.

"This ball is my responsibility, I didn't protect it!"

Busquets took the initiative to apologize to his teammates. If he hadn't noticed Griezmann behind him, he wouldn't have lost the ball.

"It doesn't matter. We are still ahead. The advantage lies with me. I just need to play well from now on!"

Veterans such as Ramos and Casillas stood up to comfort them, although they did not have a good relationship with the Barcelona players when they were at the club.

But when it comes to the national team, everyone is a brother in the trenches. At this time, it is natural to have the same guns to the outside world, and we can no longer fight against each other, especially at such a critical moment.

The comfort from his teammates made Busquets feel better.

He decided to be more serious and play harder in the next game.

The French team's goal did not completely arouse the Spanish team's vigilance. After all, they still have a huge advantage in their hands.

But when the game restarted, when the French team worked tirelessly and attacked them more crazily than before, Spain felt the pressure.

The opponent has already fully gained momentum. If the opponent's momentum is not suppressed, if the opponent continues to play like this, the result may be very bad.

If a team plays like crazy, anything can happen.

Now, the French team is in this state.

There are obviously only 10 people, but they can suppress the Spanish team of 11 people.

Their players not only fought aggressively and fiercely, but also became more decisive when attacking in the frontcourt. Many players who dared not play before dared to cooperate, and they dared to pass the ball that they did not dare to pass before.

Even the quality of their shots is improving, especially Griezmann.

This guy seemed to be on the wrong side of the ball, running rampant on the left side of Spain, unstoppable!