Spain’s victory against Albania (1-0), this Monday in Group B of the Euro, allowed the French team to validate its qualification for the round of 16 of the tournament played in Germany. Didier Deschamps’ Blues will try to finish first in their group during the match against Poland.
One (small) less weight on the shoulders of the Blues. The France team is officially qualified for the round of 16 of Euro 2024 played in Germany. On the eve of its last Group D match against Poland (6 p.m. in Dortmund), the Blues benefited from Spain’s success against Albania (1-0) to validate their ticket for the knockout phase.
If a draw from La Roja was enough to ensure France a place among the best thirds in the continental tournament, the quick goal from Ferran Torres (1-0, 13th) quickly put the protégés in a good situation. Despite several chances to equalize, the Albanians came up against the Spanish defense. Without shining but without really trembling, the usual replacements lined up by Luis de la Fuente did the job and qualified France.
>> All the information on the Blues at Euro 2024
Objective first place for France
Guaranteed to finish among the four best thirds, the French selection will still want to finish the job against Robert Lewandowski’s Poland, already eliminated from the Euro. In front of the press on Monday, Didier Deschamps was very clear: he wants to win in order to hope to finish at the top of Group D and offer himself a potentially more favorable part of the table (without Spain, Germany and Portugal) .
“The objective is to win this match against Poland to give ourselves the means to obtain the best place,” confirmed the French coach to journalists. “Afterwards, it doesn’t just depend on us since there is a head-to-head match. The more goals we score, the more likely we are to finish first. If we can win the match and score as many goals as possible, that would increase the chances of being first in our group.”
France first in group D if:
- France wins against Poland and the Netherlands does not win against Austria
- France wins and the Netherlands wins by a smaller margin
- France draws, the Netherlands also scores two goals less at least
- France draws and the Netherlands loses
