Deschamps: If France is boring you, go watch something else

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Deschamps: If France is boring you, go watch something else

2024-07-09 03:22 Last Updated At：03:30

MUNICH (AP) — A boring France team? Coach Didier Deschamps doesn’t care.

Tuesday’s European Championship semifinal between Spain and France is a matchup of very different styles.

One team is playing some of the most exciting soccer at Euro 2024, and the other is playing arguably the dullest.

A team that has won all five of its matches, against a team that has won just two (excluding Friday’s penalty shootout victory over Portugal ).

A team that has scored a tournament high 11 goals, against a team whose players have yet to score from open play — having notched two own goals and a penalty.

“If we’re boring you, you can watch something else, it doesn’t matter,” Deschamps said on Monday when asked about criticism of his team’s form.

“It’s a very particular European Championship, with less goals than normal. We have the chance to make France happy, in a delicate situation for the country. If (others) are bored, I don’t really care.”

France has underwhelmed and captain Kylian Mbappé is frustrated as he tries to adapt to wearing a vision-limiting face mask after breaking his nose in the opening match.

Also being called out for France’s lack of a cutting edge in attack is Antoine Griezmann, who has played in two positions — central midfield and on the right wing — and was even dropped for the group closer against Poland.

“We have 100% blind faith in (Mbappé and Griezmann) we know they are players that can change a match in an instant,” midfielder Adrien Rabiot said on Monday.

“We will need them … we are all very surprised as we know Antoine’s quality. I don’t know how to explain it, maybe he is a bit less well physically. We were expecting a lot more from Antoine but we are behind all of our players.”

In contrast to France’s dour quarterfinal against Portugal — which Les Bleus won 5-3 on penalties after the match ended 0-0 — Spain beat Germany 2-1 in a dramatic encounter, won by a goal in the last minute of extra time.

That match pitted two of the most exciting teams in the tournament.

“We all try to make game plans that help you win," Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said. "Our model is close to that of a beautiful show. We are a very attractive team, but here it is about winning. You have to be attractive, but also practical … at this point what counts is the result.

“What I value and analyze is the potential. And (France) is exceptional, fantastic. It has very high-level players and a very good team. I always enjoy football. France doesn’t bore me. We have different styles.”

While France has been poor up front, it has been exceptional at the back, allowing just one goal, a retaken penalty by Poland’s Robert Lewandowski in the group stage.

Monday marked Deschamps’ 12-year anniversary on the France bench. There would be no better way to celebrate it than by getting Les Bleus to its fourth major final in eight years.

AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024

The Big Sho: Ohtani hits tying 3-run homer in playoff debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers in NLDS win

2024-10-06 14:08 Last Updated At：14:10

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani rewrote the record book during his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, he's getting a chance to make more history in his highly anticipated playoff debut.

Ohtani hit a tying, three-run homer with two outs in the second inning to help Los Angeles win its Division Series opener Saturday night. The Dodgers went on to a 7-5 victory over the San Diego Padres, a team they battled down to the wire before earning their 11th NL West title in 12 years.

“It’s been insane how good he’s been with runners in scoring position,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “When he does get those opportunities you feel like he’s going to cash them in.”

The Japanese superstar sent a 2-1 pitch from Dylan Cease into right field for a 372-foot shot that had the sellout crowd of 53,028 — including actors Brad Pitt and Rob Lowe — on its feet.

“I could really feel the intensity of the stadium before the game began and I thoroughly enjoyed it,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.

He finished 2 for 5 with three RBIs, two runs scored and two strikeouts as 88-year-old Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax looked on from behind home plate.

“It was pretty exciting,” Ohtani said.

He flied out to left in his first at-bat.

“The focus was really on just having my swing, the quality at-bat that I look for despite being in an excited, high-intensity environment,” Ohtani said. “Although I was out that at-bat, I felt pretty good and wanted to carry that on throughout the other at-bats.”

The Padres had taken a 3-0 lead in the first against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani's countryman who is also making his postseason debut in the best-of-five National League Division Series.

Ohtani, who batted .310 during the regular season, drove in Will Smith, who walked, and Gavin Lux, who singled, to make it 3-3.

“It just got the momentum back for us and just gave us life,” Roberts said. “From pitch one, the fans were just engaged, were in it. I just felt that energy. I think Shohei feeds off that.”

San Diego went ahead 5-3 before the Dodgers rallied with three runs in the fourth. Ohtani had a broken-bat single and later scored, along with Mookie Betts, on Teoscar Hernández's single that gave the Dodgers their first lead, 6-5.

“It's really difficult for a playoff team to be able to get into and feel comfortable playing in the first game of the postseason, especially with the long layoff, but I think everyone really contributed,” Ohtani said.

Ohtani appeared amped in the dugout before the game. In the batter's box, he seemingly flipped a switch and was laser-focused on the task at hand.

“You can even see it in his first at-bat, just the discipline in the strike zone, to get back into a count and then to fly out,” Roberts said. “I just really have never seen a guy in the biggest of moments come through as consistently as he has. I wish a lot of other players had that ability. He’s just very unique.”

Ohtani is getting his first chance on the October stage after spending the past six years with the Los Angeles Angels, who never had a winning record during his tenure.

He signed a record $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers as a free agent in December. The two-way phenom didn’t pitch this season while rehabbing from a second major elbow surgery. That allowed him to focus on his offense, and he became the first major league player with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB