France has been humbled by Greece. Despite advancing to the knockout stages by topping Group B, a seven-match unbeaten streak in official matches since the World Cup was snapped.
France (ranked No. 2 in FIFA) drew 2-2 with Greece (ranked No. 51 in FIFA) in the final Group B match of the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers at the OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, at 4:45 a.m. ET on Sunday. With the result, No. 1 France (22 points, 7 wins, 1 draw) advances outright, while No. 3 Greece (13 points, 4 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses) heads to the playoffs.
The home team, Greece, started the game in a 3-5-2 formation. Porthis Ioannidis and Georgios Masouras formed the back two. The midfield featured Dimitris Yannoulis, Anastasios Bakassetas, Konstantinos Galanopoulos, Andreas Vouhalakis, and Lazaros Rota. The back three was Pantelis Hatzidakis, Konstantinos Mavropanos, and Panagiotis Retzos. Odysseas Vlachdimos was in goal.
The visitors, France, lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Olivier Giroud played up top. The second line was supported by Kolo Moani, Antoine Griezmann, and Ousmane Dembele. Adrien Rabiot and Youssouf Fofana held down the midfield. The back four was Theo Hernandez, Luca Hernandez, William Saliba, and Jules Kunde. The goalkeeping gloves were worn by Brice Samba.
France opened the scoring. In the fifth minute, Kunde overlapped high into the box and crossed. It was sharply headed into the box, but neither Rabiot nor Giroud could connect with their shots. Christie hit back. In the sixth minute, Lotta was brought down and shot wide of the goal.
A one-sided game ensued. France seized the initiative and rattled Greece. In the 11th minute, Dembele received a through ball and shot, but it was blocked in front of the keeper. In the 14th minute, Griezmann’s surprise shot was headed for the top corner of the goal, but again, a super save was made. 토토사이트
It hit the post. In the 32nd minute, Griezmann had a chance in the box after a successful line break. He went for a volley, but it hit the left post. In the 35th minute, Moani had a crucial chance after being played through by Theo Hernandez, but he missed.
Finally, the balance was broken. In the 42nd minute, after Fofana and Giroud combined, Moani saved the ball. With a lack of angles, he took a risky right-footed shot. The ball found the back of the net to give France the lead. The first half ended with France on the attack and leading 1-0.