“We’re on the hard side of the draw? I like that,” reacted Eduardo Camavinga (21) after France’s second place in Group D was assured. Despite winning their opening match against Austria, Les Bleus were pipped to top spot by Ralf Rangnick’s men following back-to-back draws. The most recent draw, against Poland on Tuesday (1-1) proved costly, but unlike on the pitch, France showed plenty of fighting spirit during their post-match media duties.
The second-place finish means that France will face a tougher draw for the Round of 16, a stage of the tournament that manager Didier Deschamps has described as “a new competition”. He will be hoping that his team show a “new” side to themselves after two lethargic performances.
Speaking in a mixed zone interview, attended by Get French Football News, Camavinga is confident that France will be able to do just that. “We are a great team and a great team always picks itself up,” said the Real Madrid midfielder.
That positive mindset was echoed by Deschamps, who said he was “not frustrated” by Les Bleus’ performances, as well as Bradley Barcola, who said that France have “very, very good foundations”. Time will tell whether their confidence is misplaced.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle