Antoine Griezmann’s double for France was enough to take the hosts to the finals of the European Championships to set up a meeting against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

Despite not putting up the best of performances, France did just enough to seal a spot in the finals of the European Championships, thanks to two goals from Antoine Griezmann. The Germans never truly recovered after conceding via a Griezmann penalty at the end of the first half. Nearly 30 minutes after the restart, the Atletico Madrid star tapped in from close range to seal France’s first victory over Germany in a major tournament since 1958.

MARSEILLE, FRANCE - JULY 07: France players celebrate their team's 2-0 win in the UEFA EURO semi final match between Germany and France at Stade Velodrome on July 7, 2016 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
MARSEILLE, FRANCE – JULY 07: France players celebrate their team’s 2-0 win in the UEFA EURO semi final match between Germany and France at Stade Velodrome on July 7, 2016 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

According to a report in ESPN, French manager Didier Deschamp’s insisted that his men had already created ‘history’ after their triumph over the Germans. “We have already. It was a long time since we’d beaten Germany but that didn’t mean anything today. We’re into the final and there’s a trophy up for grabs,” he said.

The former Chelsea player, who was the captain of France’s 1998 World Cup team, was full of praise for Griezmann, saying “Antoine is a great player and he proved that again tonight in everything he did,”he said. “He’s a very important player, as he has been for Atletico all season. At the Euro, he’s scored goals, set up teammates and got others around him playing well.”

France's forward Antoine Griezmann celebrates after scoring a penalty shot giving France the first goal of the match during the Euro 2016 semi-final football match between Germany and France at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on July 7, 2016. / AFP / FRANCK FIFE (Photo credit should read FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)
France’s forward Antoine Griezmann celebrates after scoring a penalty shot giving France the first goal of the match during the Euro 2016 semi-final football match between Germany and France at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on July 7, 2016.
/ AFP / FRANCK FIFE (Photo credit should read FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)

German coach Joachim Loew, whose touchline antics this tournament have made the news more than his team’s performances, insisted that not too many things went wrong with the team, and that his men were the better side. The Germans dominated the game and ended the match with 65% possession, but the only statistic that truly mattered in the end was the scoreline.

“We were the better team. We put in a lot of effort, showed good body language, got forward and were good in one on ones.” Loew lamented his side’s bad luck at conceding a penalty after Bastian Schweinsteiger made contact with the ball in the penalty box a minute before half-time. “Today we didn’t have the luck we needed; in 2010 and 2012 when we went out, the sides were better than us. Today we were better than the French but for the goals and result.”

Loew also spoke of the lack of big names in his side who missed out through injury or suspension, and how that affected the result. Bayern Munich’s Jerome Boateng, one of Germany’s standout players this tournament, had to be taken off because of an injury on 58 minutes. “There were injured players, Khedira and Gomez, Hummels was suspended and Boateng went off injured — they’re hard players to replace.

Needless to say, the Fans were full of praise for France’s Antoine Griemann. But trust twitter to not let him off easy for that strange celebratory dance.

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