Just think positive. There has been a big tournament so far, when the German national football team met Portugal as well as France. That was 2014 in Brazil, and Germany was world champion in the end. From this point of view, Saturday's European Championship draw in Bucharest is the only romantic reminder of the days of Rio.
However, times have changed, the World Cup title has meanwhile migrated to France, the Portuguese may currently call themselves European champions. Nevertheless, positive thinking also helps to look into the past. There have been duels with the French and Portuguese at World and European Championships, and most Germans have won them.
Germany against France - that has been five times in tournaments, it was spectacular at the premiere, as the Équipe Tricolore, led by the great Just Fontaine, won the match for third place 6: 3. However, in this duel you think first of all of Seville, that memorable 8th of July 1982, when both teams met in the World Cup semi-finals.
Schumacher with the chewing gum
An evening that embodied the light and shadow throws of this sport in such a way that 37 years later, it is remembered as if the game had finally been played. The brilliant Frenchmen around Michel Platini, Alain Giresse and Jean Tigana against a German team that defined their qualities first and foremost in combat strength and commitment - an effort that went far beyond the border, as goalkeeper Toni Schumacher knocked out the French Patrick Battiston.
The image of the chewing gum chewing Schumacher, who watches the ball under his arm as Battiston is subsequently carried away with the stretcher, is a painting of World Cup history. The ugly German, he was from there to a Cologne. Schumacher, who left the French on penalties desperate after an unforgotten dramatic extra time.
Photos from the German tournament history with France and Portugal:
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Photo gallery: Jacket Crowns and Triple MullerFour years later in Mexico Platini and Co. would have had the opportunity to revenge, as it again in the semifinals against the DFB team, now coached by Franz Beckenbauer went. But the team, burned out after a fantastic quarter-final against Brazil, bite their teeth on the German team. Again Schumacher towered over, Andreas Brehme and Rudi Völler did the rest.
It took 28 years to meet again, another World Cup, this time the quarterfinals of Rio. Mats Hummels was the man of the game in the 1-0 - front he made a goal, behind he prevented it. So the French had to be patient for another two years until they finally left the field as winners at a big event. At the European Championship semifinals 2016 in Marseille Bastian Schweinsteiger rendered charitable help with an unnecessary handball in the penalty area. Antoine Griezmann accepted the Penalty Giveaway, the game, until then dominated by the Löw Elf, was tilted. France moved into the final and lost there against Portugal.
Bastion Schweinsteiger
The European Championship 2016, it was the great triumph of Portugal, the triumph of Cristiano Ronaldo, even if the superstar had to watch the endgame, early bad fouled and injured, largely from the outside. That the Portuguese were not so successful in other tournaments, was also several times to Germany: Bastian Schweinsteiger disenchanted in Stuttgart with his three goals in the match for third place, the Portuguese, whose star then was called Luis Figo. A game like a single celebration of the new desire for football for the German team, the farewell match of Jürgen Klinsmann. Even if he was the only one who already knew that.
The DFB-Elf had in 2006, however, also make up for something against Portugal: Six years earlier, she had duped at the European Championships by Sergio Conceicao at 0: 3. A first low point of the national team was reached. That evening it was clear that the DFB needed a fundamental reform. It still took four years for Klinsmann.
His successor Joachim Loew got it right at his first tournament test again with Portugal to do, the Löw-Eleven had thwarted in the European Championship 2008 to the quarter-finals, Portugal with the up and coming Ronaldo was actually favored, again delivered Schweinsteiger from a big game , Germany won 3: 2.
At the next European Championship, Portugal got in the way again, this time as a prelude in Lviv. The headlines on that day belonged to Mario Gómez: He scored the DFB to 1-0 success, but then he had to deal with the caustic verdict of TV expert Mehmet Scholl. Keyword: wound up. That's seven years ago.
Waidwund were the Portuguese two years later, as they were shot at the last tournament duel with Germany by Thomas Müller storm-ready. With his three goals in the 4-0 success of Salvador, so to speak, the late reply to the three goals of Sergio Conceicao, put the Bayern striker the track that led four weeks later to the World Cup title. Not the worst memories, really. The European Championship can come.
