OVERTIME CAN’T SETTLE IT
Redblacks tie Stamps in home opener
His first full national team appearance arrived in the last eight at a European Championship. His second at a semifinal. Now, in what will be just his third appearance for France, centreback Samuel Umtiti will likely get the nod in Sunday’s Euro final.
This after manager Didier Deschamps overlooked him from the start. The 22-year-old Umtiti wasn’t even in France’s original 23-man squad until both Raphael Varane and Jeremy Mathieu suffered pre-tournament quadriceps and calf injuries, respectively.
But while Deschamps was chastised for passing on Umtiti prior to Euro 2016, the French bench boss should be commended in the same breath.
Deschamps made the gutsy decision to not reinsert centreback Adil Rami into his lineup following a quarter-final suspension.
Instead, with the tournament on the line, he left in Umtiti to face Germany Thursday night in Marseille. It was a massive gamble given the Cameroonian-born defender wasn’t particularly tested against Iceland five days earlier. We didn’t know what to expect.
There was a moment during the first half of Thursday night’s semifinal that might have turned out different had Rami come back in for Umtiti.
What looked certain to be a clearcut chance for Germany’s Thomas Muller sat up inside the goal box before Umtiti closed the space and cleared the danger. He was solid the entire way Thursday night, making a number of key blocks and looking smooth in possession.
Given space, he took it. It was as if he wanted the responsibility of conjuring up the next play against a German side capable of punishing any misplay. He simply didn’t produce one. And his 98 per cent passing accuracy at this tournament is remarkable given his rawness.
But while everyone else is talking about Cristiano Ronaldo’s potential impact, remember the subplot heading into this fixture. Umtiti likely thought he’d by on vacation by now considering he wasn’t in Deschamps selection as of mid-May.
Six weeks later, he’ll be tasked with shutting down Ronaldo in front of a television audience of 300 million. Call it his “Welcome to the Neighbourhood” moment from the Real Madrid player. Umtiti joined Barcelona last month on a roughly $30-million transfer.