French media have shed light on the Euro Cup draw, which paired France with the Netherlands, Austria, and a winner from the play-offs. 'Didier Deschamps' team is clearly the favorite in this group.'
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The sobering quote comes from the confident Le Parisien, which expects the French to breeze through this group. Other media outlets, however, offer a bit more nuance after the draw. Sports channel RMC Sport invited Olivier Giroud to provide a live reaction to the draw. The striker was disappointed with the pairing against the Netherlands.
'We know them well from the qualification period. I feared the draw against the Netherlands because it's never easy to play against them. It's always a battle against the Netherlands.'
RMC also delved into the Euro Cup history between the Netherlands and France. 'Les Bleus will face the Netherlands on June 21 in Leipzig, hoping to win against them for the first time in Euro Cup history.' In 2008, France and the Netherlands last faced each other in the Euro Cup, and Orange won impressively with a 4-1 victory in the group stage under coach Marco van Basten. In 2000, it was 2-3 for Orange, also a victory in the group stage.
At the Euro 1996, things went awry for the Netherlands against France in the quarterfinals. No goals were scored in regular time, making the match officially recorded as a draw. However, Clarence Seedorf's infamous miss from the penalty spot – a miss that even became part of a song – led to Guus Hiddink's Orange team heading home.
L'Équipe takes us back to the present and the future. The French newspaper acknowledges that the Netherlands was defeated twice by France in the Euro qualification period. Still, considering the potential quality that Orange can possess with a fully fit squad, caution is advised. 'France faces a team in the Netherlands that is undergoing a complete rebuild. Les Bleus troubled this opponent in the Euro qualification period, but Orange can have a completely different face when coach Ronald Koeman has all forces at his disposal, and the new generation emerges. It's not a jackpot for France, but it's also not the Group of Death.'
The latter point is supported by Bixente Lizarazu, who analyzed the draw for the French newspaper. The 97-time French international, active in three Euros and two World Cups, believes that France is in a better position than two years ago at the Euro. 'We avoid the Group of Death, with Spain, Croatia, and Italy. That group resembles our situation in 2021. That draw meant we had to be ready immediately and give one hundred percent right away, leaving no chance to grow in the tournament. This draw is much more favorable; qualification is within reach.'
Updated: 10:13, 3 Dec 2023
