France’s 1-0 win over Germany in the group stages of the 2020 European Championship featured a number of noteworthy performances.
While Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe stole the limelight with their brilliant displays to kick off EURO 2020 for the world champions, one particular performance that went under the radar was forward Antoine Griezmann’s.
While Pogba and Mbappe showed their attacking brilliance to trouble the German defenders throughout the game, it was Antoine Griezmann who played a much deeper role to accommodate the returning Karim Benzema upfront.
Griezmann spent most of his game inside his own half, and constantly won tackles and broke up play to contain Germany from getting the equalizer.
One particular challenge that caught the footballing world’s eyes was when Griezmann tackled Matthias Ginter to stop the German defender from getting a cross into the penalty area in the 84th minute.
The Barcelona superstar showed an exceptional work rate to not only try and win an aerial battle with Antonio Rudiger and break up play but also get back in a position to defend a cross from Ginter that would potentially carve an opportunity for Germany to grab an equalizer.
And not only did Griezmann get back in position to stop the cross, but he connected with an impeccable tackle – much of a contrast to what is known as a “forward’s challenge.”
Griezmann showed the influence of his former head coach Diego Simeone – known for training his team to be defensively sound over anything else – with his performance, in spite of being one of the most talented forwards France have in their artillery.
The Atletico Madrid head coach must have been a very proud man if he was watching the match unfold, as Griezmann displayed some expert defensive prowess – what makes him one of the most complete forwards in the world.
