France, Germany in early meeting

MUNICH, June 14, (AP): France and Germany usually play each other in the latter stages of major soccer tournaments.

Not this time.

The teams will meet in the group stage of a European Championship or World Cup for the first time on Tuesday when they open their Euro 2020 campaigns in Munich.

Their last match at a major tournament came in the Euro 2016 semifinals. Antoine Griezmann scored twice for France in the 2-0 victory over then-World Cup champion Germany in Marseille.

Germany have never really recovered, and though the French lost to Portugal in the final five years ago, they went on to win the World Cup two years later.