Zimpapers Logo

PARIS. — Tipped to emulate France’s 1984 European champions and 1998 World Cup soccer winners, the “Griezmann Generation’s” bitter Euro 2016 final defeat by Portugal will take some getting over.

After sweeping past world champions Germany in the semi-finals, the stage was set for Antoine Griezmann and his team-mates to lead France to a third major tournament triumph on home soil.

But despite losing Cristiano Ronaldo to a first-half knee injury, Portugal prevailed 1-0 courtesy of Eder’s extra-time strike at Stade de France on Sunday, bringing Didier Deschamps’s side to their knees.

“This squad has a big future, but we should have won this Euro and we didn’t,” said Griezmann, who finished as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals.

“We are very sad, a bit annoyed, but that’s football. Sometimes it gives, sometimes it takes away. We have to come back stronger and be ready for the World Cup qualifiers.”

While France’s defeat crushed the dreams of a nation, it at least had the merit not to be accompanied by the player controversies that have plagued the team in tournaments past.

France notoriously went on strike at the 2010 World Cup in protest at the expulsion of striker Nicolas Anelka for insulting coach Raymond Domenech, while several players were punished for bad behaviour at Euro 2012. — AFP.