Emmanuel LANGELLIER, Media365, published on Sunday June 30, 2024 at 3:20 p.m.
Didier Deschamps’ Blues came very close to being crowned at Euro 2016 in France. The national coach recounts his memories of this memorable moment.
Winner of the Euro as a player in 2000, Didier Deschamps is still looking for his first European Championship title as a coach. He still has 4 steps to climb this year in Germany, starting with the round of 16 against Belgium on Monday (6:00 p.m.). In 2016, the former defensive midfielder was very close to winning the cup in the final against Portugal (0-1). At the Stade de France, André-Pierre Gignac hit the post at the end of regulation time, then the famous Eder deceived Hugo Lloris with a long-range shot in extra time (109th minute) and extinguished all French hopes of a new coronation at home, after that of 1984.
Deschamps: “I couldn’t sleep, my head was in a bag and, after dinner, I went straight to my room”
On Sunday, in L’Equipe, Deschamps recalled his memories of the event marked before its start by the graffiti on his house located in Concarneau due to the non-selection of Karim Benzema (the word “racist” had notably been seen). “The adventure was great, but I was personally hurt and it wasn’t just me,” the coach remembers. The front was complicated, but once in the competition, I was able to put things into perspective, even if our beginnings were rickety. But we found ourselves as the tournament went on, until the final, which we played with one day less recovery than Portugal, after having played our final in the semi-finals, perhaps. UEFA listened to us and changed the schedule: between four and five days is fine, but between three and four, there are too many differences.”
“After the final, the disappointment was so huge… We had the chance, it came down to a goal post… I couldn’t sleep, my head was in the sack and, after dinner, I went straight up to my room. The disappointment lasted a long time. That one hurt. I don’t know if the 2018 World Cup allowed this wound to heal, but this defeat which remains engraved served us well. I have never seen it again, apart from extracts, ever. But I never rewatched the 2018 final, either,” continues the boss of the Blues who had learned “that a final is something you learn”. “In 2016, I wanted to increase motivation with more private messages for the players, which worked well sometimes, but this time, no. Two years later, we did it differently, with seven players who did not want to relive the same feeling,” says the technician who hopes to be there on July 14, the day of the final of the Euro version 2024.
