Griezmann’s double gives France 2-0 win over Germany in semi

To win the European Championship final on Sunday, Portugal will need something it has never managed before at a major tournament: to beat France.

He has declared his wish to be crying tears of joy after Sunday’s final at the Stade de France.

Two goals from Antoine Griezmann saw off Joachim Low’s side and set France up for a showdown against Portugal.

Cristiano Ronaldo will relish taking on the whole of France in Sunday’s Euro 2016 final, according to his former Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand. “It would be fantastic if we won the cup”, said Ziegler, whose all-time favourite player is Zinedine Zidane.

Asked about whether he meant to stay on after the 2018 World Cup in Russian Federation, he said: “I’m still disappointed so I don’t want to think about that tonight”.

The world champions crashed out, but Loew said Germany had been the better team on the night. From day one, we felt good, secure and very welcome.

Famously sung below the stadium in November after French football fans were evacuated as terrorists carried out attacks on their handsome capital, expect a rousing reception for Les Blues as they take to the field against Ronaldo’s Portugal.

At full strength, there had not been a better team at the Finals.

“We have players who give us advice at certain moments in the match”, Mario said, without providing names.

After defender Jerome Boateng’s handball had given Italy a lifeline in the quarter-finals, their captain’s similarly inexplicable high hand swung the game France’s way when they most needed it.

The German created a few unsafe moments, but Lloris easily took care of all of them.

The referee had no hesitation in awarding France a spot-kick and Griezmann calmly guided the ball past Manuel Neuer, who went the wrong way.

Whilst the use of Thomas Muller as a false striker fell prey to deep drops to receive the ball and little on goal opportunities, the work of French striker Olivier Giroud was instrumental in the clinical counterattacks that France relied upon.

In a time where many nations are polarised by divisive politics, this French team shows sport can still play an important role in society with a multi-cultural team.

Their opening group was as easy as it comes and they only just about did enough to get through in first place.

Penalties beckoned at the Stade Velodrome when Michel Platini appeared to score a 119th-minute victor to send France through to a final against Spain where they lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy for the first time. They said my timing was not always the best as a player and it’s the same now as a manager with my contract.

Jumping to head the ball without raising your arms is virtually impossible but Schweinsteiger was half a second out, Evra won the header and his arm had nowhere to go.

Having spent most of the last month in France, I have to say that this is a good final for the people in this country because there seems to be a hell of a lot of Portuguese people living here and they will add to the colour of what should be a great finale to this competition.

“We have climbed back up the slope, we have done it step by step”.