Germany 0-2 France: Antoine Griezmann's double strike sees hosts into the Euro 2016 final as world champions are eliminated
France have booked their place in the Euro 2016 final after beating world champions Germany in Marseille
Antoine Griezmann gave France the lead from the penalty spot after Bastian Schweinsteiger handballed in the box
Germany enjoyed the majority of possession and tested Hugo Lloris in the France goal on multiple occasions
Atletico Madrid forward stabbed home a second 18 minutes from time after an error by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer
Host nation will now take on Portugal in the tournament's grand final at the Stade de France on Sunday
By Ian Ladyman for the Daily Mail
The Germans always find a way to get it done, don’t they? Not this time. Here at a frenzied Stade Velodrome, the serial achievers of European football found a way only to a departure lounge for home.
France are in their own final in Paris on Sunday. It’s a great story but it doesn’t tell the story of this game. Germany were the better team.
They controlled the play and the tempo and the possession and they looked the more likely winners. But for once Joachim Low’s team revealed themselves to be mortal. There is, it appears, no flawless formula in the German DNA.
Antoine Griezmann scored both goals as France beat Germany to reach the Euro 2016 final in Marseille on Thursday evening
Griezmann celebrates after scoring from 12 yards in first-half stoppage time to send the host nation into the interval ahead
Griezmann celebrates after scoring from 12 yards in first-half stoppage time to send the host nation into the interval ahead
France were awarded the spot-kick after Bastian Schweinsteiger blocked Patrice Evra's header with his hand in the box
Schweinsteiger was booked by referee Nicola Rizzoli and Griezmann stepped up against Manuel Neuer from 12 yards
Neuer struck his left-footed effort beyond the Bayern Munich goalkeeper to put France in front
Neuer guessed the wrong way and Griezmann continued his hot streak in front of goal at the European Championship
Evra leads the celebrations after Griezmann's goal, which came against the run of play at Stade Velodrome in Marseille
France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris enjoys Griezmann's goal just before the break during a pulsating encounter
France supporters celebrate wildly in the stands as DImitri Payet, Evra, Griezmann and Blaise Matuidi revel in their opening goal
The Atletico Madrid forward added a second for the hosts with 18 minutes left of the game, stabbing home from close range
Germany's players look crestfallen as the French celebrate behind them in front of flying Tricolours as the host nation progressed
MATCH FACTS & RATINGS
- Germany: Neuer
7; Can (Gotze, 67 6), Boateng 6 (Mustafi, 61 6), Howedes 7, Hector 6;
Kroos 6, Schweinsteiger 7 (Sane, 79 6); Kimmich 6, Ozil 6, Draxler 5.5;
Muller 5.5.
- Subs not used: Leno, Ter Stegen, Tah, Schurrle, Weigl, Podolski.
- Booked: Can, Ozil, Schweinsteiger, Draxler
- France: Lloris
7.5, Sagna 6, Koscielny 7, Umtiti 7, Evra 6.5; Matuidi 6.5, Pogba 7,
Sissoko 6, Griezmann 8 (Cabaye, 90), Payet 6 (Kante, 71 6), Giroud 6
(Gignac, 77 6).
- Subs not used: Mandanda, Costil, Jallet, Rami, Mangala, Digne, Schneiderlin, Coman, Martial.
- Goals: Griezmann pen 45, 72
- Manager: Didier Deschamps 7
- Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy) 5.5
The problem here was that they couldn’t score and, to compound that, they gifted France two goals and, with them, a place in the final against Portugal.
Low and his players will argue all the way home about the decision to penalise Bastian Schweinsteiger for handball in the death throes of the first half. Certainly, it was a close call and it irreversibly changed the flow of the match.
But the German, playing his 120th international game, gave referee Nicola Rizzoli a decision to make when he jumped clumsily with Patrice Evra and when the Italian came down on the side of blue, Antoine Griezmann buried his penalty past Manuel Neuer.
Griezmann missed one for Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final so this took courage. He is a fine player, the French forward, and it appears he has a fine instinct too.
Midway through the second half, with the Germans pressing for parity, Paul Pogba won possession at the byline and when Neuer could only push his cross away weakly, Griezmann pushed his studs forward to nudge the decisive goal in to an empty net
France had been fortunate to be in the game at half-time, never mind sitting on a one-goal lead. All of which was interesting given the way the night had started.
The national team always seem to play in a particularly feverish atmosphere down here in the south and the Velodrome was crackling as France tore at Germany from the start.
The hosts played at a rare tempo in the opening exchanges and almost scored what would have been one of the goals of the tournament in the sixth minute.
A move that began down the left saw Griezmann play two one-twos with Blaise Matuidi on his way into the German penalty area. Perhaps we should call that a 1-2-3-4.
Most important was the fact that Griezmann should really have scored.
He looked for a moment as though he might fall under a challenge and maybe that moment of choice unsettled him. For when the shot came, low to Neuer’s left, it was not struck as well as it might have been. Neuer still did well to save but on another day Griezmann may not have given the German goalkeeper a prayer.
France fans created an immense noise inside Stade Velodrome prior to kick-off as they looked for a rare tournament win over Germany
France coach Didier Deschamps and the rest of Les Bleus' backroom staff sing Le Marseillaise prior the game in Marseille
Griezmann leaps to head the ball as the host nation made a bright start to proceedings on the south coast of France
Matuidi, starting in a holding midfield role alongside Paul Pogba, beats Tony Kroos to an aerial challenge
France president Francois Hollande was in attendance at Stade Velodrome to watch his country attempt to reach the final
Olivier Giroud chases down Germany goalkeeper Neuer as the home side started the better of the two teams
Matuidi battles for possession with Emre Can, who was drafted in for his first start at Euro 2016 by Germany coach Joachim Low
Dimitri Payet goes to ground under the challenge of Kroos in midfield as France huffed and puffed early on
The home side created the first clear-cut opportunity of the match when Griezmann cut in from the left and fired at NeuerFor a couple of minutes we wondered if that would set the tone for the match. Not a bit of it. The Germans dusted themselves down and took a grip on the midfield that allowed them to dictate play for the next half an hour.
The key to it was the central area. France had stationed £100million man Pogba alongside Matuidi at the base of midfield and left Leicester’s N’Golo Kante on the bench.
But it was Schweinsteiger and Mesut Ozil, ably assisted by Toni Kroos, who asserted themselves and soon the French were hanging on.
Hugo Lloris in the France goal did not have to excel but there was a purpose and rhythm to Germany’s football that had been absent from much of the last month and they looked persistently dangerous as a flurry of chances came and went.
A low cross from Emre Can was nudged wide by Thomas Muller in the 13th minute before Ozil fed the Liverpool player and Lloris made a sharp save to his left as he saw the ball late through a crowded penalty area.
The Bayern Munich keeper did well to get down and stretch out his left hand to prevent the ball ending up in the back of the net
Julian Draxler - in the side in place of the injured Mario Gomez - jumps high to collect possession in front of Laurent Koscielny
Germany coach Low urges his team on from the sidelines and the world champions quickly accelerated into the ascendancy
Can of Liverpool tested Tottenham goalkeeper Lloris with a drive from the edge of the penalty area but the France No 1 saved
Meust Ozil holds off the attentions of Pogba and Matuidi as Germany took control of the tie, rattling the French
Kroos appeals for penalty after taking a tumble in the France penalty area but referee Rizzoli waved away the claims
The Real Madrid midfielder went to ground after colliding with Pogba but he did not get the penalty kick he was looking for
Payet had a go at goal from a 30-yard free-kick but Les Bleus rarely got out of their own half after the opening 10 minutes of the first period
Lloris claims one of many German crosses into the penalty area as the world champions exerted more and more pressure
Thomas Muller's frustrating tournament continued in the first period as he dragged a good chance wide of Lloris' goal
Pogba breaks away from Can but France relinquished almost 70 per cent of the possession to their opponents in the first half
Having started with such purpose, France were suddenly reeling as Germany found some momentum. Kroos tumbled under a challenge from Pogba to prompt calls for a penalty before Lloris stretched to touch over a Schweinsteiger shot from 20 yards.
The veteran German was enjoying himself and looked a different player from the one who waddled through last season’s Premier League season with Manchester United. Schweinsteiger, though, was to make his main contribution at the other end.
Crucially, Germany’s spell of dominance didn’t yield a goal and France found the strength to rally, even if most of their football was being played on the counter. Griezmann whacked a shot into the side netting in the 43rd minute and the lumbering Olivier Giroud couldn’t capitalise when played clear.
Then, just when thoughts were turning to half-time, things changed. Schweinsteiger and Evra challenged for a corner and, after a delay, the Italian referee awarded a penalty.
The right call? Probably, and Griezmann planted the perfect kick to Neuer’s right.
Lloris reaches up to push a long-range effort over the top of the crossbar as the Germans continued to dominate
Pogba bumped Payet off free-kick duty to try his luck from 30 yards but, like Payet, saw his shot saved by Neuer in the Germany goal
Giroud cut a frustrated figure as France struggled to make an impact until they received a dose of good-fortune just before half-time
Schweinsteiger lead with his hand as he tried to beat Evra to a cross and handballed in the penalty area
Griezmann stepped up and sent Neuer the wrong way to put his country in front and score his fifth goal of the tournamentThe Germans were incandescent and for a while in the second half they were at sea. Giroud wasted another good chance, allowing Jerome Boateng to block, while Griezmann shot wide.
Germany eased back into forward gear but still they couldn’t find a route to goal. For all their obvious threat, the edge was not always there. Had the energetic Griezmann been playing in white things may have been different.
Once again, Germany found their way back into the game but it began to disappear from them moments after Didier Deschamps introduced Kante for Dimitri Payet in an attempt to box off the match.
Neuer was probably slightly at fault for the goal but not as much as Joshua Kimmich, who gave the ball to Pogba in the first place.
Kimmich subsequently did his best to atone for his error by driving a shot against the bar with 15 minutes to go and forcing a brilliant save from Lloris in added time.
But this time there was to be no miracle.
Griezmann is mobbed by his team-mates after scoring the opening goal of the clash at Stade Velodrome
France came out strongly in the second half having taken the lead against the run of play and Giroud saw a shot blocked
Draxler slides through the back of Moussa Sissoko, earning the German forward a yellow card early in the second period
Germany suffered a major blow when Jerome Boateng sustained a hamstring injury and had to be replaced in the second half
After Boateng had been replaced, Griezmann added a second for the home side after Neuer pushed a cross into his path
The German defence cannot believe they've conceded a second goal as Griezmann wheels away to celebrate with his team-mates
