19/06/2023 and las 23:28 CEST
The ‘bleu’ team resolved the game from eleven meters through the mediation of Mbappé
Griezmann ended up bleeding after receiving a savage kick from Mavropanos in the face
France bled and sweated, but their match did not end in tears. The ‘bleu’ team achieved a long-suffering victory against Greece, which arrived at the Stade de France as the main contender in the fight for leadership. Accustomed to a path of roses to date (with the asterisk of Ireland), Deschamps’s charges, frustrated by the solid Hellenic defense and a sensational Vlachodimos, had to settle the game with a maximum penalty materialized by Mbappé.
DATASHEET
Eurocup Qualifying Phase
FROM
GRE
LINEUPS
France
Maignan; Kound, Conate, Upamecano, Theo Hernandez; Tchouameni, Camavinga; Coman (Dembélé, 77′), Griezmann (Nkunku, 85′), Mbappe; Giroud (85′)
Greece
Vlachodimos? Baldock, Mavropanos, Hatzidiakos, Tsimikas; Siopis (Fountas, 66′), Kourbelis (Bouchalakis, 86′); Masouras (Koulierakis, 71′), Bakasetas (Retsos, 71′), Mantalos, Giakoumakis (Pavlidis, 66′).
Referee
Mateu Lahoz (Spain). TA: Siopis (49′), Mavropanos (50′), Kourbelis (69′), Hatzidiakos (69′). TR: Mavropanos (69′).
France knew that against the Hellenics it would not be enough to play half throttle like the day in Gibraltar, so they emptied themselves in search of the opening goal. Mbappé commanded the ‘bleu’ offensive, claiming a penalty up to three times. All three were denied by Mateu Lahoz, Baldock’s tripping being the most debatable.
Despite his undeniable role in attack, the best chance of the first part was not born from the boots of the French captain. On the edge of the break, Jules Koundé entered the area in a one-on-one situation. His attempt was well placed, but he was thwarted by a sensational hand from Vlachodimos.
After going through the changing rooms, France ended up finding the penalty they had been looking for so much. This came after a wild tackle from Mavropanos, who kicked Griezmann in the face, leaving the ‘Little Prince’ bleeding and with a cumbersome bandage on his face. The person in charge of converting the maximum penalty was Mbappé, but he found himself with another sensational intervention from Vlachodimos.
The stretch of the Benfica goalkeeper was of little use, because stepped slightly ahead and the penalty had to be retaken. In the second he would no longer forgive Mbappé, who changed the direction of the launch to materialize the first goal of the game.
Mavropanos ended up putting the cherry on top of his fateful night shortly after. The Stuttgart center-back, already booked for the penalty on Griezmann, ended up seeing the direct red card after bringing down Kolo Muani when he was already standing alone in front of the goalkeeper. Griezmann was about to get gold from that free-kick, but his attempt was lost over the crossbar.
With the intention of taking advantage of the numerical superiority and closing the game as soon as possible, Deschamps introduced more gunpowder from the bench. One of the chosen ones was Dembélé, who came out wanting to devour the field. The Barça winger became a headache for Tsimikas and Hatzidiakos and, after several dangerous runs, he was just a few centimeters away from scoring a goal in his private locker.