Missed !
Coach Didier Deschamps wanted his troops to qualify in the second match for the round of 16 of the Euro.
With this draw (1-1), this Saturday, against Hungary, France will have to wait for its third match in front of Portugal to officially validate its ticket for the next round.
Since taking office in 2012, this is the first time that the coach has found himself in this situation.
During the 2014 and 2018 Worlds as well as the Euro 2016, the Blues had won their first two games and this had in particular made it possible to turn the workforce during the third group match.
Even if France are not (yet) qualified for the next round, their chances of seeing the round of 16 remain very high.
With this draw, Antoine Griezmann's partners are already sure not to finish 4th and last in this group F, synonymous with elimination.
In the event of a setback against the Portuguese defending champion, the Blues would finish 3rd at the worst and would then undoubtedly be part of the best four 3rd of the six groups essential to reach the 8th final.
It would be a disaster scenario
It would take, indeed, a disaster scenario to see France eliminated at the end of the group stage.
This would first involve a large defeat against Portugal in the third and last match and at the same time many unfavorable results for France to finish among the two worst thirds and thus be eliminated.
To read also Hungary-France (1-1): the notes of the Blues
To be ahead of their competitors for the best 3rd place, you would need a specific scenario in each group. Here they are: In Group A, Switzerland must strangle Wales to get ahead of France. In Group B, Russia must beat Denmark and Finland must not lose to Belgium. In Group C, Ukraine must win against North Macedonia and Austria must hang at least a draw against the Netherlands. In Group D, Croatia or Scotland should not win largely while the meeting between England and the Czech Republic does not result in a draw. In Group E, Spain or Poland must not take more than 2 and 3 points in their last 2 games and Slovakia must lose in their last game.
Suffice to say that the risks are minimal. France can even always finish in first place in Group F but this will necessarily mean a success against Portugal on Wednesday 23 June (9 p.m.) in Budapest.
