Griezmann: We were all shouting at each other
Sunday, June 26, 2016
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Antoine Griezmann is anxious for France to avoid a repeat of their first half against Ireland, when some harsh dressing-room words were needed before his match-winning double.
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For the second game this tournament, France were reliant on Antoine Griezmann to get them out of a tight spot. Trailing to an early goal against the Republic of Ireland, the hosts were looking short of ideas and heading for a premature exit – until the Atlético forward changed everything with a second-half double salvo.
Griezmann's second and third goals of the competition – putting him in contention for the adidas Golden Boot – were extra special to the man who grew up not far from Lyon.
With family in the stands, he booked Les Bleus a quarter-final berth that had seemed beyond them before the break, when Griezmann and his team-mates resembled the high-speed trains that came to a grinding halt in his home town of Macon on the eve of this round of 16 match.
While overnight flooding had affected the railways, Griezmann and France's other creative forces found themselves shunted about by a committed Ireland side in the first 45 minutes in Lyon. "At half-time we were all shouting at each other, the coach, the players, everybody," he admitted. "We needed to improve. We weren't good in the first half and then we saw another French team in the second, one that wants to reach the final.
"For me, it's been like this all year. At Atlético, we win matches 1-0 and suffer right to the end. I was hoping it would be a bit different with France, but so far it's been more of the same. We have to keep this mentality. And personally, I'm happy with the two goals and I hope I'll continue to help the team."
The 25-year-old is coming into form at just the right time after a slow-burner of a start to UEFA EURO 2016 that can be attributed to a gruelling club season. Omitted from the line-up against Albania on Group A's matchday two, he stepped off the bench to nod France's opener in Marseille.
Surprisingly, Griezmann has registered more goals as a substitute than as a starter for his country. He now has four strikes from 21 starts, whereas he has netted six goals in ten appearances from the dug-out.
Against the Irish, Griezmann followed up a fine header from Bacary Sagna's cross with a left-foot finish from an Olivier Giroud knockdown, the first time the duo had managed to combine all afternoon. Playing off Giroud, Griezmann was not the only French player who looked more at ease in the second half when Didier Deschamps switched to 4-2-3-1.
Griezmann explained: "The coach brought Kingsley Coman onto the pitch. Kingsley is very dangerous as a winger and I was behind the striker, nearer to the penalty area, so I'm very happy and we hope we'll carry on like this."
Next in Griezmann and France's line of fire will be England or Iceland at the Stade de France on 3 July. "The most important thing was to get to the quarter-final," he said. "Now we have to enjoy it, get some rest and be ready for another fight."