The French team faces the formidable Spanish selection on Tuesday, July 9 in Munich, for a place in the final of Euro 2024. Spain, the best attack in the competition, sees Mike Maignan, the last bulwark of the Blues, standing in its way. Hermetic, imposing in goal, the goalkeeper who succeeded Hugo Lloris is a very strong link in the tricolor house.
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He had to be patient to settle in with Les Bleus. It often works like that with goalkeepers: you have to wait for the spot to be left vacant by your predecessor. Mike Maignan is not a new kid, but in the French team, the immovable starter was Hugo Lloris, record holder for caps with 145 selections, from 2008 to 2022. The international retirement of the former captain after the 2022 World Cup left the field clear for Maignan.
This Euro 2024 is thus the first major competition that the goalkeeper is playing as number one. And everything we have seen of him at Lille, at AC Milan and since his first match with the Blues in 2020 has been confirmed since the start of the continental tournament: Mike Maignan is indeed one of the best current specialists.
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” It feels good to have a leader like that. »
Since the start of the European Nations Championship, the French have been under fire for their lack of realism in attack, which is, in fact, glaring: three goals scored since the start of the competition, including two own goals and a penalty. This is very little for a semi-finalist who is not lacking in attacking talent.
But at the same time, the vice-world champions are almost intractable in defense. In five matches in this Euro, they have only conceded one goal, the work of the Pole Robert Lewandowski in the first round, on a penalty (1-1). And to think that Mike Maignan had pushed back the first attempt of the attacker, before the referee decided that the penalty should be retracted because the goalkeeper had left his goal line…
Against Portugal, in the quarter-finals, Maignan has once again delivered a perfect copy. He notably saved his team at the hour mark on a succession of Portuguese strikes. William Saliba did not forget to salute him: ” A big, big thank you to Mike for keeping us in the game. » Aurélien Tchouaméni was enthusiastic: « We have a very great goalkeeper, he is the cream of the crop, (…) an extraordinary goalkeeper. »
Between an attentive rearguard and a goalkeeper who makes numerous decisive saves, it’s no wonder so many scorers have failed there. We know what we have to do. It feels good to have a leader like that behind us. “, confided Dayot Upamecano in the first round, while Jonathan Clauss confided: ” Mike talks a lot. (…) For a defender, it’s an advantage to have a goalie who guides you to that extent. »
A colossus facing the Yamal-Morata-Williams trident
With the Rossonero in goal, the French team knows it is well-armed. In his panoply of the perfect last line of defense, Maignan also has excellent statistics on penalties and shots on goal, an exercise in which Lloris was less effective. Against Portugal, the French goalkeeper did not stop a single one of the five shots from the Seleção players. Nevertheless, his size (1.91m, 91 kilos), his reputation and his talent quite simply undoubtedly contributed to the only failure of the fateful session and this shot from João Félix on the post. The mentality made the difference. In the penalty shootout, we didn’t tremble “, appreciated the player born in Cayenne and of Haitian origin.
A French victory on penalties is unprecedented since the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup against Italy. Since then, there have been defeats in the final of the 2006 World Cup against a vengeful Italy, in the round of 16 of Euro 2021 against Switzerland and in the final of the 2022 World Cup against Argentina. When you have a first-choice goalkeeper and you work on this delicate exercise with your shooters, the chances are automatically increased.
The Blues will probably need another in-form Mike Maignan in the last four. Because this time, it’s Spain, the most enjoyable team and the team that has scored the most goals since the start of the Euro (11 goals) is on the program. The French defense will have to face the elusive Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, while Alvaro Morata will prowl up front, with the support of his excellent midfielders who are inclined towards attack.
Mike Maignan, 29 years old for a few days, is ready. The uncertainty that surrounded the last few days before the Euro, due to a finger injury, seems far away. The player trained at PSG holds his rank and is overflowing with ambition. For him, who missed the 2022 World Cup due to a calf injury, this Euro 2024 is the one to confirm his status as a key player in a team aiming for the title.