Forget about the past, Lloris warns France
HUGO LLORIS warned France that Ireland will be more intent on making their name at Euro 2016 by dumping the hosts out of the than exorcising the ghost of Thierry Henry.
The two sides meet this afternoon, almost seven years after Henry’s handball at the Stade de France broke Irish hearts and denied them a place at the 2010 World Cup finals.
Both camps have played down talk of revenge despite intense media coverage – the 2009 game was shown in full on French TV on Friday – and Lloris, who played in the game, insisted Ireland have bigger fish to fry.
A controversial 1-1 draw that night secured France’s passage after a 1-0 win in Dublin in the first leg, but the Republic were the better side on the night.
Lloris said: “That’s part of history, that’s in the past. We’re preparing calmly and need to make sure we are ready for the battle.”
However, Lloris denied there was over-confidence in 2009 and insisted there would be none today as the possibility of a quarter- final clash with either England or Iceland looms.
He said: “We have a lot of respect for Ireland.
“Despite the second half against Belgium, they have shown a lot of good stuff against Sweden and especially against Italy.
“They are perhaps even a little bit more excited because they went through in the last few minutes against Italy.
“I think they are very motivated but we will be up for it, too.”
Whatever the result, it is likely to be a landmark day for Lloris, who will captain his country for a record 55th time, overtaking the total achieved by his manager, Didi er Deschamps.
Lloris said: “Of course it’s nice but I’m more focussed on the competition as a whole and what matters for me and my team-mates is to go as far as possible in the Championships.
“I have no desire to compare myself to Didier, what he might have represented as a player or captain, nor indeed Michel Platini.”
When asked about the feat, Deschamps joked: “Maybe. He could play, but he might not be captain. I ultimately am the one in charge.”
But any celebrations will have to wait with Deschamps warning his players they will have a battle on their hands against Martin O’Neill’s side.
He said: “They’ve got a lot of heart, they work hard but it’s not just that.
“There are some good footballers within the team, like Whelan, Hendrick, Hoolahan, Brady, McCarthy, Long – these are all players that know what top- level football is all about.”