Eight months after a wave of attacks brought death to the streets of Paris, France’s national team takes on Portugal in a European Championship final with more than just a silver trophy at stake.
The stadium hosting Sunday’s final was the very first target of the Nov. 13 attacks which killed 130 people in and around Paris. Three suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the Stade de France, killing a bystander, while France played Germany in a friendly match.
Ahead of Sunday’s game at the same venue, the symbolism has not been lost on aFrance team that is doing its level best to bring a measure of happiness to a country still mourning its dead.
“We’ve obviously been through some difficult times with regards to this dramatic event,” France captain lloris said Saturday at a pre-match news conference.
After a halting start to the tournament, France has gained in confidence, routing Iceland 5-2 in the quarterfinals and then beating World Cup winner Germany 2-0 in the semifinals. The national fervor, slow at first, has picked up in tandem withFrance’s improved form.
Now there is a genuine sense of belief — among fans and players — that France can win its first trophy since Euro 2000 and a fourth major tournament title.
And it couldn’t come at a better time.
Playing in his fourth consecutive major tournament, lloris is one of a handful of players remaining from France’s shambolic 2010 World Cup campaign in South Africa.
When they returned home, the fallout was enormous and the players were loathed by the French public, who viewed them as irresponsible and selfish spoiled brats, and they were lambasted by politicians.
“We went through a crisis in French football,” lloris acknowledged. “But we managed to rise back up, climb up the hill again.”