The Blues will therefore finally face Ireland for a place in the quarterfinals. The match will take place on Sunday at 15 p.m. in Lyon!
Statistically, the most likely opponent of the Blues was Northern Ireland ... But the results of the last group E matches changed the game last Wednesday. It is therefore finally Ireland which will find France in the round of XNUMX after having snatched its qualification.
Eire best third. Everything was decided in the last minutes of the third matches of group E. While the scores of the two meetings were blank, Ireland achieved the feat by scoring against Italy (1-0), a few seconds after the Belgium's first goal against Zlatan's Sweden. Hitherto eliminated, Eire thus seized third place in group E and qualifies as the best third.
At the end of the suspense, the French team now knows the name of their opponent for a knockout match, scheduled for this Sunday, June 26, at 15 pm, at Parc OL.
Ireland (s). This last minute twist is an opportunity for a little clarification: there are two "Ireland" in the knockout stages of the Euro. Northern Ireland, which faces Wales in the round of 2016, and the Republic of Ireland (or Eire), future opponent of the Blues. This distinction dates back to the beginning of the XNUMXth century and the declaration of independence of the southern part of the island. But it was not until XNUMX that we paid so much attention to the names of the two teams: before, they had never both qualified for a major international competition.
Revenge of the 2009 dams? The Republic of Ireland, therefore, France knows it well. The last meeting between the two teams was on November 18, 2009, in the return play-off for the 2010 World Cup… In overtime, Thierry Henry then offered a goal to William Gallas by controlling the ball with his hand. This equalization (1-1) sent France to South Africa, after a 1-0 victory in the first leg. But the gesture had sparked a huge controversy, until it became a matter of state in Ireland. Of the 23 players of Eire for the Euro, five were present on this cold November evening.
It is a safe bet that they will thirst for revenge, Sunday, against the men of Didier Deschamps! _AF
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