scored twice on
Thursday as France
beat world champions
Germany 2-0 to seal a
place in the Euro 2016
final against Portugal.
Having converted a
controversial first-half
penalty for Bastian
Schweinsteiger's handball, Griezmann put the result
beyond doubt with a sweetly struck second half
shot.
"We suffered but we knocked them out," said
French coach Didier Deschamps after the game in
which Germany dominated possession.
The victory in Marseille mean Les Bleus face
Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal in Sunday's final at
the Stade de France.
Championship finals with six goals.
France's first win over Germany in their fifth
meeting at major finals came out of a controversial
penalty just before halftime.
Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli's took an eagle-eyed
decision.
showed his arm grazed the ball as he put his arms
up while marking Patrice Evra from a corner.
Germany's stars crowded Rizzoli, furious with the
decision. But it was a decisive blow from which the
2014 World Cup winners never recovered.
With Mats Hummels suspended, plus Mario Gomez
and Sami Khedira injured, Germany were forced
into changes at the Stade Velodrome.
Liverpool's defensive midfielder Emre Can made his
first start at Euro 2016, winning only his seventh
cap, for Khedira alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Thomas Mueller started as striker for Gomez while
Benedikt Hoewedes took Hummels place at centre-
back alongside Jerome Boateng.
France coach Didier Deschamps kept faith with the
same starting side which beat Iceland 5-2 in the
last eight, retaining Samuel Umtiti and Moussa
Sissoko.
exchanges with French and Germans alike guilty of
spraying passes wide of their intended man.
A weak Griezmann shot and a Dimitri Payet free-
kick straight at Manuel Neuer were France's best
chances early on.
At the other end, Germany were sloppy with a string
of chances in front of goal while Schweinsteiger
fired over from range.
The world champions first showed signs tempers
were flaring when Can picked up a 36th-minute
booking for hauling Griezmann down.
Then there was panic in the German defence
moments later when Olivier Giroud broke clean
away.
Only a perfectly-timed tackle from the furiously
back-peddling Benedikt Hoewedes blocked his shot.
France were content to sit deep, letting Germany
rule the midfield with Griezmann and Moussa
Sissoko waiting to counter-attack with little
success.
The penalty swung the game.
Mesut Ozil joined Schweinsteiger in picking up a
booking by kicking the ball away while Mueller had
to restrain a few of his German teammates.
Nevertheless, Griezmann showed a cool head by
gratefully slamming his shot past Neuer in the
second minute of added time.
France led 1-0 at the break, even though Germany
had 64 percent of the first-half possession and 11
attempts on goal to France's six.
The goal breathed life through the French team for
the second-half as the Germans became ever more
frustrated.
With 25 minutes left, Germany coach Joachim Loew
threw on Mario Goetze for Can in the hope the World
Cup winner could again produce some magic.
Germany's problems were compounded as
defender Jerome Boateng went off with injury with
61 minutes gone.
Griezmann settled the matter when Paul Pogba's
cross from the left was cleared by Neuer into the
Atletico Madrid stars path to fire home on 72
minutes.
In a last gamble to avoid their first defeat at a finals
since the Euro 2012 semifinals, Loew switched
winger Leroy Sane for Schweinsteiger with 10
minutes to go, but France held firm.
Teams:
Kimmich, Benedikt Hoewedes, Jerome Boateng,
Jonas Hector; Bastian Schweinsteiger, Emre Can;
Julian Draxler, Toni Kroos, Mesut Ozil; Thomas
Mueller
Coach: Joachim Loew (GER)
France (4-2-3-1): Hugo Lloris (capt); Bacary
Sagna, Samuel Umtiti, Laurent Koscielny, Patrice
Evra; Blaise Matuidi, Paul Pogba; Moussa Sissoko,
Dimitri Payet, Antoine Griezmann; Olivier Giroud
Coach: Didier Deschamps (FRA)
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
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