FRENCH CAP FITS FOR SUPER HUGO
Record will be in safe hands as Lloris closes in on legend Thuram
From MATTHEW DUNN in
WITH Robert Lewandowski and hopefully Harry Kane in the firing line, Hugo Lloris knows he is in for a busy time beating the France caps record.
And he is acutely aware the defending champions are always there to be shot at.
The French keeper goes into today’s last-16 clash with Poland on 141 France appearances – one short of all-time record holder Lilian Thuram.
But with two of the most prolific goalscorers in the game lined up in France’s quarter of the draw, Lloris knows he will have to wait to enjoy the moment properly.
“It’s quite something and I am very honoured to reach this figure,” he said. “But it’s just a day before the last-16 game, so the record is secondary.
“The most important thing is this competition. The match is going to be quite a battle and I need to be 100 per cent focused.
“Maybe I will appreciate the record once the competition is over and hopefully that will be after a successful tournament.”
Manager Didier Deschamps (above) paid tribute to the Tottenham star’s achievement. “Hugo is playing an important game personally – but the French team is the important thing and if he is going to beat Thuram’s record, it is because it is there to be broken,” he said.
“These players have shown exemplary professionalism throughout their careers. “Some records are more important than others. This is an important one and testament to two long and professional careers.”
With England and Kane hoping to beat Senegal to face the winners in the quarter-finals, Lloris knows he cannot afford to relax his concentration for a second.
“Robert Lewandowski’s one of the best No.9s in the world and has been for some years,” said Lloris. “He’s an important player for Poland but we’re facing a team that defends well, puts in lot of effort and then they have Lewandowski.
“We are analysing their matches but there is always an element that is unknown. Mental strength is very much the key.”
Deschamps has his own plan, however, to try to restrict Lewandowski’s influence in Al Thumama.
“He is a clinical striker and with that type of player you have to try to restrict him because the less he can get it, the less he can do,” he added. And having gone out of Euro 2020 unexpectedly to Switzerland, Deschamps added: “We don’t talk about the past, I don’t think it’s worth it. Especially a match we lost. It is not the same opponent, for a start.”