France is all ready to make history

France are on the brink of making history after booking a Euro 2016 final against Portugal with a 2-0 win against world champions Germany in Marseille on Thursday night.

Antoine Griezmann took his tally to six for the tournament with a brace against Germany and his team are now closing in on yet another major international title collected on home soil.

France have already won the 1984 European Championship and the 1998 World Cup in front of their own fans, with Didier Deschamps closing in on a huge achievement for his side.

Deschamps was the France captain when the nation won the World Cup - he also led them to glory at Euro 2000 two years later - so he knows exactly what is at stake for his side.

Route to the final

France have grown as a team throughout the tournament and they look to be peaking at just the right time to claim the title in front of their own fans at the Stade de France on Sunday evening.

But there was a lot of criticism of Deschamps' tactics and team selection early on in Euro 2016, with his side relying on the brilliance of Dimitri Payet during the group stage.

Payet struck a superb late winner against Romania on the opening night of the tournament and the hosts left it late again when they faced Albania, Griezmann and Payet sealing victory. 

It was clear that the France team was not quite gelling in a 0-0 draw with Switzerland that ensured they topped Group A, but since the start of the knock-out rounds they have kicked into another gear and have looked the team to beat.

Republic of Ireland took an early lead in their last-16 clash in Paris, Robbie Brady converting a penalty after Paul Pogba's clumsy foul, but Griezmann struck twice after half-time to send his team through.

Iceland's shock win over England meant France were overwhelming favourites in their quarter-final but they did not buckle under the pressure, running out easy 5-2 winners despite Adil Rami and N'Golo Kante being suspended.

Another Griezmann brace then vanquished Portugal in the semis to ensure his side marched on.

Favourites

France have been favourites since before the tournament even kicked off and they retain their status as the frontrunners going into the final, offered at evens to beat Portugal in 90 minutes.

While Deschamps' men seemed to struggle with the pressure of the combination of being hosts and the favourites earlier in the tournament, the likes of Griezmann and Payet have delivered consistently high quality performances to see their team through to the final.

France have a number of match-winners, with the much-maligned Olivier Giroud also enjoying a solid tournament, while Pogba has enjoyed moments of magic such as the brilliant piece of skill that set up Griezmann for his second goal in the 2-0 semi-final win against the world champions.

History is there for the taking for France, who are closing in on their third European Championship, which would draw them level with Germany and Spain as the most successful nations in the history of the competition.

With Griezmann on the brink of winning the golden boot thanks to his goalscoring heroics, it is hard to see France slipping up now.