It was a night when France were favourites to win the EURO 2016. The host nation had everything in their favour, with forwards and defenders linking up well in the previous games, home support on their back. Moreover, they faced a Portugal side without Cristiano Ronaldo, who had to leave the pitch 25 minutes in after being injured by a challenge by Dimitri Payet. But loosing their captain inspired all the Portuguese players, as each one of them stepped up at the right time and defeated France 1-0, dominantly.
Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud both had a fantastic tournament, something that Arsene Wenger would ideally cherish. Koscielny was as usual strong at the back, with a dominant and leading force. In the final he showed great composure in dealing with Portugal’s attacks, who poised a constant threat on the break. Unfortunately, he could do nothing about the low shot from Eder which led to the winning goal for Portugal.
Giroud has revived his lost form this summer in the European Championship and proved every worth of his. After a poor run at the closing end of the season with Arsenal, he gave Wenger doubts over his club future. But in France, he was one of the top performers for the French National team, as he ended the campaign with 3 goals and 2 assists over 456 mins.
What stands ahead of them is a new season after a short break and pre-season tours. It will be important for them as well as Arsenal to carry the same form into the pre-season if they are to challenge for the Premier League trophy.
