France's Antoine Griezmann celebrates with family and friends after the match.
Antoine Griezmann had plenty of
painful memories to erase in Thursday's European Championship
semi-final against Germany and he did that in style, scoring twice to
lead the host nation to an historic 2-0 victory over the world
champions.
Already a fans' favourites and now the tournament's top scorer with
six goals, the goal machine with the boyish looks will again be France's
most dangerous weapon when they face Portugal in Sunday's final.
"He is our little man that gives us that little bit extra," fellow
striker Olivier Giroud said of the frail 25-year-old with the magic
touch.
Griezmann was remembered for his tears after France lost 1-0 to
eventual winners Germany in the 2014 World Cup quarter-final in Brazil.
He was all smiles on Thursday, however, when coach Didier Deschamps
substituted him in the closing stages so he could leave the Marseille
pitch to a standing ovation from the wild fans packing the Velodrome
stadium on a hot and humid night.
Griezmann, whose goals helped Atletico Madrid advance to the
Champions League final this year, opened the scoring with a penalty just
before halftime exploited a rare blunder from Germany goalkeeper Manuel
Neuer after the break to settle the match.
"I wanted to retake a penalty in a crucial moment," said Griezmann,
who missed from the spot in the Champions League final loss to Real
Madrid.
"On the second goal, I was waiting for an error from the goalie and it fell at my feet."
Griezmann, one of the top three players in the world according to
Atletico coach Diego Simeone, started the tournament in sluggish fashion
and some feared a gruelling season had taken his toll.
Just like France, however, he
improved and his surging runs made all the difference. By contrast,
Germany played most their matches without a proper striker, Mario Goetze
looking lost in that role in earlier games just as Thomas Mueller did
on Thursday.
Griezmann had a traumatic experience the last time he faced Germany
in November, on the night of the attacks in Paris that killed 130 people
across the French capital.
The young forward found out that his sister Maud was at a rock
concert at the Bataclan hall, where 90 people were shot dead, and he had
to wait a few hours before knowing she had escaped unhurt.
All those images must have been on his mind during the semi-final but
his feelings after the final whistle were all about pride and joy.
Griezmann is now the most prolific striker at a European Championship
finals since the great Michel Platini, who scored nine times in
France's 1984 triumph on home soil.
"Scoring goals is nice but I'm nowhere near Platini," Griezmann said
after playing a decisive role in France's first victory over Germany at a
major tournament in 58 years.
"I hope I can get closer to him. Playing a final is great but it's winning it that counts".
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