In front of 50,000 partisan fans, France were a goal down without touching the ball.
After a false start at kick-off, the Republic of Ireland worked the ball up the left and when Paul Pogba leaned into Shane Long, Nicola Rizzoli did not hesitate to point to the spot.
Robbie Brady dispatched the penalty with the aplomb we have come to expect from Ireland’s left-sided everyman and for the next 44 minutes France were outplayed by a team they were expected to swat aside with ease.
Unbelievable scenes https://t.co/6LRa8RmDMG
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 26, 2016
N’Golo Kante picked up the booking that would rule him out of the quarter final against either England or Iceland, Olivier Giroud cut a frustrated and isolated figure as he struggled to get any change out of the Ireland’s defence that was three-quarters Championship players.
Daryl Murphy, Brady and Jeff Hendrick were playing the ball through the French defence with impunity.
Something had to change for the hosts and it had to change fast. Didier Deschamps’ relaxed demeanour throughout this tournament cannot disguise the high stakes for Les Bleus.
A second-round exit to a third-place qualifier, having enjoyed a week’s rest since the end of the group stages would have been cataclysmic.
It could have cost the 1998 World Cup-winning captain his job.
Drastic action was required when Deschamps and his squad entered their dressingroom. Harsh words were needed and harsh words were delivered.
Not just by the former Marseille and Juventus midfielder but by players and substitutes too.
“Well I can raise my voice at half time but yes we did need to keep calm and shake things up – shake things up a little bit,” said Deschamps after the game.
“It was not just players on pitch, it was players on bench too, I have a group here and they are all focussed on the result so that we progress.”
After their frank exchange of views, Deschamps made some vital changes in personnel and approach. Kante was withdrawn and Bayern Munich flyer Kingsley Coman was brought in to stretch the Irish defence and get Antoine Griezmann closer to Giroud.
It worked.
It just wasn't to be… https://t.co/51jq4F0M3e #COYBIG
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 26, 2016
If Deschamps would have carried the can for a defeat to Ireland then he must also take credit for winning this game. On BBC, Thierry Henry said he is the best coach at the Euros because of the changes he has affected in their games so far.
Griezmann scored two goals and would have more than likely had an eight-minute hat-trick if Shane Duffy had not hacked him down. Duffy saw red though and Ireland saw the hill in front of them transformed into a footballing Mont Blanc.
“It was in order to get more presence up front,” said Deschamps afterwards. “Ireland were quite deep, so we wanted to get Griezmann close to Giroud and bring in pace with Coman out wide and create space. Use the width better.”
Once McClean was sacrificed to allow John O’Shea slot into the defence in place of Duffy, Coman was able to exploit the space between midfield and defence. The winger, who has been clocked at 30 kilometres-per-hour during this tournament, caused mayhem.
“I don’t gamble with my system. I take decisions based on discussions with players. I have no problems with that,” said Deschamps when asked if he should have selected a midfield four playing behind Griezmann and Giroud, instead of the narrow 4-3-3 he started with.
“Maybe we should have started that way. Who knows? Then I made some changes because my substitutes can create something. Not just tactics, it is also willpower and determination.”
Darren Randolph's performance against France was nothing short of heroic https://t.co/uRYAy39eBW
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 26, 2016
Deschamps showed Ireland a lot of respect with his starting team, starting with three defensive midfielders effectively, in Blaise Matuidi, N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba – whose positioning in front of the defence was questioned afterwards.
The Juventus man combines grace and power like few players in Europe but seemed somewhat hamstrung by his role in the first half. Deschamps was happy with how he played, insisting he needed Pogba to shield the defence
“I knew this was going to be a difficult match and when Ireland took lead, it made us uncomfortable in the first half,” he said.
“Our main strength is our will power. We don’t do everything very well, I have not seen any team do everything very well.
“It is a very balanced Euros and the French team with all our players, I am not going to try and slow them down. I wanted stability in defence.
“I did not want to try and stop attackers. This team is really bringing a lot of emotion to the crowd and making everyone fall in love with them.”
Not in the first 45 minutes they didn’t. The first half was all about Ireland and France were jeered off the pitch at the break.
It needed a few home truths and tactical tweaks to break down this Ireland team. Once they did though, there was no turning the tide.
