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Spain play France in the opening semi-final at 8pm. Before the tournament I might have viewed a clash between the European titans as an exciting game, but has there been a truly exciting game involving France thus far? Maybe the liveliness of Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and err … Marc Cucurella will spur on Kylian Mbappé and co. Let’s hope so.
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Keep refreshing this page as we build up to that game and provide you with updates from the England and Netherlands’ camps as they prepare for their semi-final tomorrow night.
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Important Events
Syd Lowe
When the manager was told he had some boring players on his team, given the quality of his France squad, the Swedish journalist joked: “They must be French and pretending to be Swedes.” “If you get bored, you can watch other games,” he said. “You don’t have to. It’s fine. It’s a special Euros. There are not many goals, it’s very tough for everyone. It’s not the same as in the past, but we share the desire to make the French people happy through the results we have had, especially in a difficult period for the country. But I don’t really care if the Swedes get bored.”
France manager Didier Deschamps hit back at the criticism in a recent press conference. “If you get bored, just watch another game,” he said.
There are extenuating circumstances – Kylian Mbappe’s broken nose is the most prominent – but more worrying is the lack of goal-scoring power of Marcus Thuram and Randall Kolo Muani. Ousmane Dembele came off the bench in Friday’s quarterfinal against Portugal and was brilliant but rarely better. France seem hungry for answers in attack but at this stage of the tournament the question should not be “what does it matter” but “does it matter?”
In fairness, France’s defence has been exemplary in this year’s tournament. Read more about the weakening situation on the French front here.
preamble
Hello and welcome to our EURO 2024 live blog.
Spain takes on France in the opening semifinal at 8pm. Before the tournament, you might have thought that a clash between two European giants would be exciting, but has France ever been truly exciting in a match? Maybe the energy of Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and… Marc Cucurella will inspire Kylian Mbappé and co. Let’s hope so.
As we build up to the match, we will continue to update this page with the latest updates from both the England and Netherlands camps as they prepare for tomorrow night’s semi-final.
