1) Giroud slow of foot and slower of thought
Olivier Giroud has shown in this competition he is superlatively skilled at some aspects of forward play – the knockdown to set up Antoine Griezmann to score against the Republic of Ireland was line-leading of the very highest order, and there was a lovely but considerably less decisive little header to the same player from Samuel Umtiti’s long pass in the 11th minute here – but there are also obvious weaknesses to his game. Usain Bolt had visited the German hotel on Thursday but it is Giroud who could have really benefited from a few tips. Having sprinted towards Jérôme Boateng to challenge for a high, bouncing ball after Umtiti’s overhead clearance in the 42nd minute, there was nothing left in what is a very small tank when it rebounded into Germany’s half and Giroud gave chase. With Griezmann to his right and only Benedikt Höwedes left to deal with both of them, the real surprise was the Frenchman lacked the self-awareness to realise he was not going to win the race, and it would be a good idea to look up and spot the obvious, straightforward and possibly decisive pass. It was not his lack of pace that disappointed – this we were all aware of – but his refusal or inability to render it irrelevant.
2) Germans dismantled by double defensive disaster
Germany coped reasonably well with the absence of the suspended Mats Hummels, and in his absence Höwedes produced one of the tackles of the tournament to end Giroud’s slow-motion sprint, but the loss of Boateng to an apparent muscle strain with half an hour to play proved a blow too many. The second goal was a defensive calamity: Höwedes passed to Joshua Kimmich inside the penalty area when he might have cleared, Paul Pogba stole the ball and bemused Shkodran Mustafi, Boateng’s replacement, with a moment of skill to create some space, Manuel Neuer came for a cross he should have left, and Griezmann scored. Still, Germany had chances to get back into the game, and though Höwedes might have scored when he headed over in the 82nd minute and Kimmich was denied by a brilliant save in stoppage time, the best of those fell to Mustafi, three minutes earlier. On that occasion a left-wing cross fell at his feet, bounced off them again and then he span and thrashed a left-foot volley high from 15 yards. His presence on the pitch was evidence of, and contributed to, Germany’s misfortune.
3) Umtiti makes the most of his second chance
Umtiti, who had replaced the suspended Adil Rami in the quarter-final to win his first international cap and was at fault for both Iceland’s goals, was perhaps fortunate to keep his place in the France side. This, however, was precisely the opposite performance, notable not for the crosses he failed to reach but for the number he successfully cut out. Among very many interventions he twice denied Thomas Müller what might have been a long-awaited first goal in European Championship finals, both times when Kimmich had produced good crosses from the right, and when once he swung his boot at a centre and missed, Laurent Koscielny was handily placed behind him. But if Didier Deschamps’ decision to keep an unchanged side paid off in defence, it did not in midfield, where the 4-2-3-1 formation that had allowed France to flourish in the second half against the Republic of Ireland and Iceland amounted to an invitation to be overrun against Germany’s greater skill and greater numbers. It was surprising it took 71 minutes before N’Golo Kanté was introduced but when within 90 seconds the second goal was scored, France’s newly expanded midfield was able to hold firm for the remainder of the game.
4) Schweinsteiger not superhuman after all
The atmosphere at the Stade Vélodrome may have been remarkable but the key moment was one that brought the fans to near-silence. As the referee blew his whistle and marched into the penalty area moments before half-time a hush descended, the sound of total bewilderment. For a few moments no one, player or supporter, was sure what exactly was going on and whether it was good for them or bad. For all the concerns over his fitness, Bastian Schweinsteiger had been excellent in the first half, patrolling the space around his defence – he was often level with the two centre-backs – covering when the French forwards ran from deep and circulating possession. He had also got far enough forward to test Hugo Lloris with a 25-yard shot that would have dipped under the bar had the goalkeeper not intervened. But his concentration slipped for one crucial moment, Patrice Evra moved ahead of him and the ball curled his way. Schweinsteiger flung himself at the player with both arms outstretched, as if auditioning for a superhero movie. It was Schweinsteiger’s 38th game at major international finals but he is only statistically superhuman. Nicola Rizzoli – or whichever member of his team spotted the offence – made a brave, eagle-eyed but undoubtedly correct decision.
5) Germany’s excellence goes unrewarded
This was an excellent, compelling contest from first minute to last, the game of the tournament so far. Though flourishing underdogs bring a drama of their own, there is nothing to compare with the meeting of two giants, each intent on attacking, in the most heated atmosphere possible. France rampaged forward from the start but from about the 12th minute until seconds before the half-time, and for briefer periods in the second half, Germany’s dominance was near-absolute. Against a host nation high on confidence after an emphatic quarter-final victory, with their own side stripped of key players in every area of the pitch because of injury or suspension, and after a dizzying opening in which they had little possession and repeatedly surrendered what they had with misplaced long passes to the flanks, the way Germany calmed themselves and took a grip on the semi-final was extremely impressive – if not, in the end, rewarded.
