The round-of-16 knockout stage continues at the Euro 2016 tournament in France on Sunday, June 26th with host nation France taking on the Republic of Ireland in Lyon. The winning country will carry on to the quarterfinals while the loser will be packing their bags and heading home. If the game is even after 90 minutes it will go to 30 minutes of extra time. If it’s still tied, it will then be decided by a penalty shootout. Ireland is seeking its first European Championship while France were crowned winners in 1984 at home and in 2000 in Holland.
France vs Republic of Ireland – 5Dimes Soccer Betting Line:
- 5Dimes currently lists France as the favorite to win in 90 minutes at -120 with Ireland +929 and a draw at +309
France vs Republic of Ireland – Head to Head:
- France and Ireland last met in a World Cup qualifier in November of 2009 and played to a 1-1 draw in France. France won the qualifier in Ireland 1-0 four days earlier. The two sides have met just 15 times in the past with France winning six , losing four and drawing five. France is unbeaten in the last five meetings with two wins and three draws. Ireland last won 3-2 at home in 1981.
France – A Closer Look:
France is currently ranked number 17 in the world by FIFA. The hosts kicked off the tournament and Group A by beating 22nd-ranked Romania 2-1 on a late goal. They followed that up with a 2-0 victory over 42nd-ranked Albania with another pair of last-minute markers. Their final group match came against 15th-ranked Switzerland and the two teams played to a 0-0 draw. The French topped what was seen as the easiest group in the tournament with seven points while Switzerland finished second, Albania third and Romania last.
France outscored their opposition 4-1. All four of the team’s goals came in the second half of their matches with three of them coming at 90minutes or later. Dmitri Payet of English Premier League club West Ham has been the standout player for France so far with a pair of fantastic goals. France was knocked out by Spain at Euro 2012 and haven’t looked their best as of yet in Euro 2016.
Republic of Ireland – A Closer Look:
The Republic of Ireland is currently ranked 33 in the world by FIFA. They played in Group E in the first stage of the event in one of the strongest groups along with second-ranked Belgium, 12th-ranked Italy and 35th-ranked Sweden. The Irish managed to advance to the next round by finishing in fourth place with a win, loss and draw while scoring two goals and allowing four against. They opened their tournament with a 1-1 draw against Sweden after taking the lead and then losing it on an own goal with less than 20 minutes to play.
They were dominated 3-0 by Belgium in their second outing which meant they had to win against group winners Italy to stay alive. They accomplished their mission when Robbie Brady scored on a header with five minutes to play. Ireland played in Euro 2012 and were beaten in all three of their group matches so they’ve improved greatly since then. Ireland’s work ethic makes them a hard side for anybody to play against.
France vs Republic of Ireland – Takeaway:
The winner of this match will take on the winner of the England vs Iceland contest which is being held the next day. The winners will meet on Sunday, July 3rd in Saint Denis.
By Ian Palmer