THE FUSE

“It is a pain to watch, but it makes you win,” is perhaps the most succinct summary of France under Didier Deschamps. The words were Antoine Griezmann’s during Euro 2024, a competition in which Les Bleus reached the semifinals. However, goals were hard to come by and, in the semifinal defeat against Spain, Randal Kolo Muani became the only French player to score from open play in the entire tournament. Their other three goals came either from the penalty spot or via own goals.