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Les Bleus had already guaranteed their place in the next round and struggled to get out of neutral against a side for whom a draw was also a convenient outcome
In the end, after the enforced drama of their opening two Group A matches, France were probably pleased for a quiet night.
After victories against Romania and Albania – both snatched from the jaws of disappointment at the last – the Euro 2016 hosts prepared for the last 16 with a low-wattage draw against Switzerland that will not feature on many tournament highlight reels.
Les Bleus had already guaranteed their place in the next round and struggled to get out of neutral against a side for whom a draw was also a convenient outcome.
Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet threatened to steal maximum points once again in Lille, but in the end there would be no breakthrough for Didier Deschamps' side.
Here are six things we learned in Lille:
1. Signs of life from Pogba
Before the tournament, he was painted as the golden boy in waiting.
Young, confident and outrageously talented, Paul Pogba was being tipped to follow in the gilded footsteps of Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane, both of whom cemented their status as greats by helping France to tournament success on home soil.
But things got off to an inauspicious start this summer: Pogba was deeply underwhelming in France's opening-night win over Romania and was subsequently left out of the starting XI for the match against Albania in Marseille.
He stepped off the bench to help set up Dimitri Payet's goal in that one, but his reaction – a vigorous movement of the arms, one gripping the other near the elbow – only intensified the scrutiny on him coming into Sunday's match.
The gesture appeared to be what the French call a 'bras d'honneur', a physical expression of anger many believed to be a rebuke to the French press corps over perceived rough treatment.
This was later denied both by Pogba and his coach (“He gave me his explanation and I believe him,” said Deschamps), but the furore nonetheless threatened to cast a shadow.
The pre-match talk was of pressure and expectations; of maturity and the possible consequences of its absence; of Samir Nasri, who issued a rather less oblique message to journalists after the first match of Euro 2012.
That is not the kind of company Pogba will be desperate to keep in the annals of the French game, of course, and there was a conviction to his play from the first whistle that suggested he was here to prove a point.
With 15 minutes played, he had already forced Yann Sommer into action twice: first with a long-range effort, then with a brilliantly instinctive volley after two matador touches on the edge of the box.
Moments later, after a surging run and a shot that rattled the crossbar, every French fan was chanting his name. A telling contribution felt imminent, but it was not to be; there was an amusing moment when he surreptitiously surfed Breel Embolo's back, but Pogba, like France, only perked up fleetingly thereafter.
Still, there was enough here to suggest that the king elect is beginning to come to terms with the demands being placed upon him – that he can rise to the big occasion for his country as he has so often for Juventus.
For the tournament, as well as for France, that can only be good news.
2. France left hoping for late show again
Heading into this game, nine of France's last ten goals in European championships had come in the second half of matches – including, of course, Payet's late winner against Romania and their double salvo against Albania.
It is a curious statistic for a side that so blessed with talent. Deschamps' side were left hoping for a late intervention again at the Pierre-Mauroy after a first-half display that briefly sparked before fizzling out.
Their clearest chances came in the closing stages: Griezmann stung Yann Sommer's palms with a rasping drive before Payet – on as a sub after being rested – pinging a volley that left the crossbar shaking.
Payet then went close again from distance but this time there was to be no twist in the tale. France will be well aware that they need to click into gear much faster in the games ahead.
3. France defence growing in confidence
After the nervy victory over Romania, former France defender Alain Roche took aim at the France backline. "We were loose and the defence did not work together," he wrote in L'Equipe.
"There was a clear lack of communication between Rami and Koscielny at the start of the match. It's simple: they don't talk to each other."
180 minutes of football later and it's clear that things are improving. Here, much as against Albania, there were a couple of worrying moments from dead balls, but for the most part it was plain sailing as Les Bleus snuffed out the Swiss threat.
Special credit must go to Koscielny, who was dominant in his battle with Breel Embolo. The 19-year-old has been tipped for the top and linked with a move to Manchester United, but had no joy at all against the Arsenal centre-back, who repeatedly guided him down blind alleys and muscled him off the ball.
There will be greater challenges ahead and at some point the absences of Raphael Varane and Mamadou Sakho may be felt more acutely. But for now, the France defenders deserve some credit.
4. They don't make sports equipment like they used to
Monday morning should be exciting at the Swiss office of Puma. There will surely be some kind of inquest after a match during which no fewer than THREE Switzerland players were forced to change their jerseys after their starting kit disintegrated at the slightest touch.
Admir Mehmedi and Granit Xhaka both had pit stops to replace their shirts in the first half, while Breel Embolo went into the dressing room with half of his back visible.
Then, nine minutes into the second half, a fairly innocuous collision between Antoine Griezmann and Valon Behrami caused the ball to burst. That's one to tick off in the Spotter Guide – and further proof that they don't make these things like they used to.
5. The grass isn't always greener
After the win over Albania, Deschamps made a point of voicing his dissatisfaction with the state of the pitch at the Stade Velodrome.
There, an AC/DC concert a few weeks before the tournament had left the surface hard as a rock, hampering France's build-up play. But if Les Bleus were hoping for a better surface in Lille, they were to be disappointed.
There were patches of dirt visible all over the field, despite ground staff having taken the novel step of painting the turf green in the days before the match.
Deschamps certainly didn't look hugely impressed when he came out for a look an hour before kick-off. The effect on play was not constant, but there were enough stray touches to suggest it was a factor.
In a big tournament, especially in such a temperate country, this kind of thing is not good enough.
6. Swiss fans put on a show
Wandering through the streets in the lead-up to kick-off, it would have been easy to mistake Lille for Lucerne or Lausanne.
Such was the presence of Switzerland fans in this charming northern outpost, whose residents must have been glad of the amicable spirit in the city after a fraught few days of tear gas and tetchiness. Also of note was what must go down as the chant of the tournament so far.
To the tune of the chorus of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight', Switzerland supporters saluted their new hero. Ready now? A-one, two, three, four: "Oh Embolo! Oh Embolo! Oh Embolo! Oh Embolo! Oh Embolo! Oh Embolo! Oh Embolo! Oh Embolo!"
Match Stats — Team Stats
SWITZERLANDV.FRANCE
Switzerland
- 1Y. Sommer
- 22F. Schär
- 20J. Djourou
- 2S. Lichtsteiner
- 13R. Rodríguez
- 11V. Behrami
- 18A. Mehmedi
- 10G. Xhaka
- 23X. Shaqiri
- 15B. Dzemaili
- 7B. Embolo
Substitutes
- 5S. Von Bergen
- 16G. Fernandes
- 12M. Hitz
- 9H. Seferovic
- 21R. Bürki
- 4N. Elvedi
- 19E. Derdiyok
- 8F. Frei
- 6M. Lang
- 17S. Tarashaj
- 14D. Zakaria
- 3F. Moubandje
- Coach
- Vladimir Petkovic
France
- 1H. Lloris
- 19B. Sagna
- 4A. Rami
- 21L. Koscielny
- 3P. Evra
- 6Y. Cabaye
- 15P. Pogba
- 18M. Sissoko
- 10A. Gignac
- 20K. Coman
- 7A. Griezmann
Substitutes
- 14B. Matuidi
- 13E. Mangala
- 16S. Mandanda
- 23B. Costil
- 22S. Umtiti
- 11A. Martial
- 8D. Payet
- 12M. Schneiderlin
- 2C. Jallet
- 5N. Kanté
- 17L. Digne
- 9O. Giroud
- Coach
- Didier Deschamps
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