On July 2nd at midnight, France will face Belgium in the Round of 16 of the European Championship. Ahead of the match, French head coach Didier Deschamps attended a press conference.
Penalty practice? Deschamps commented, “Our primary route to success is either advancing through the knockouts without needing penalties or securing victory within regular time. Penalty training? Yes, we’re prepared. Anyway, there’s often a gap between aspirations and reality. In the 2022 World Cup final (in Qatar), I made seven substitutions; my goal was to avoid that situation if possible.”
In the last two major international tournaments, the French team has been eliminated in penalty shootouts, including being knocked out by Switzerland in the Round of 16 of the previous European Championship and losing to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final on penalties.
Regarding the difference between group stages and the knockout rounds, Deschamps added, “This isn’t a group stage match; it’s a new competition where defeat means going home with no second chance. There’s no catching up in any aspect. We’ve created many opportunities but must be more efficient without dwelling too much on missed chances. All great strikers have experienced such situations, and we need to raise our standards.”
Missed out on penalties in the last two major tournaments! Deschamps: We’ve practiced penalty kicks specifically. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/football-world/12987.html
