:00:11. > :00:13.# Je revois la ville en fete et en delire
:00:14. > :00:17.# Suffoquant sous le soleil et sous la joie
:00:18. > :00:21.# Et j'entends dans la musique les cris, les rires
:00:22. > :00:25.# Qui eclatent et rebondissent autour de moi
:00:26. > :00:28.# Emportes par la foule qui nous traine
:00:29. > :00:38.# Emportes par la foule qui nous traine
:00:39. > :01:33.# Et perdue parmi ces gens qui me bousculent
:01:34. > :01:40.COMMENTATOR: Goal, they have done it! France are the European
:01:41. > :01:54.champions. COMMENTATOR: That is Gascoigne,
:01:55. > :02:21.brilliant! Oh! What a goal! The shadow of the Eiffel
:02:22. > :03:03.Tower is our setting On Friday, Euro 2016 kicks off
:03:04. > :03:11.and it's bigger than ever. England, Wales and Northern Ireland
:03:12. > :03:14.are amongst 24 teams aiming to be here in Paris for the
:03:15. > :03:16.final on July 10th. Plenty to discuss over
:03:17. > :03:24.the next 45 minutes. Can England's young ones play
:03:25. > :03:27.without fear and erase It's been a long time
:03:28. > :03:35.coming for Wales, but Coleman is relishing a first
:03:36. > :03:40.major tournament for over 50 years. Northern Ireland
:03:41. > :03:42.have never played in a European Championship
:03:43. > :03:45.and are ready to spring And our hosts are amongst the usual
:03:46. > :03:52.superpowers of European football, We'll get the latest from our
:03:53. > :04:02.reporters in the England, Wales And it's a warm welcome
:04:03. > :04:11.to Jermaine Jenas and John Hartson. It's taken 58 years but Wales
:04:12. > :04:14.are back at a major tournament and the optimism surrounding
:04:15. > :04:18.Chris Coleman's side is high. Nobody has led them to a finals
:04:19. > :04:21.since Jimmy Murphy and the 1958 The current team has been developing
:04:22. > :04:26.together for some time and everything came together
:04:27. > :04:46.during an impressive qualifying It is emotional, yes, realising what
:04:47. > :04:51.we have achieved, it is all very real. The place where we are is
:04:52. > :04:56.amazing, the facilities, absolutely wonderful, they have done us proud.
:04:57. > :05:06.The whole atmosphere is one, it is a positive one, we are happy to be
:05:07. > :05:12.here. COMMENTATOR: Wales will head to Euro 2016 on the back of a
:05:13. > :05:15.thumping defeat. I kind of second guessed it was going to be a tough
:05:16. > :05:20.ask because we look at most of our players, they have not played for
:05:21. > :05:24.four wigs, the performance was down to myself, I knew where we would be
:05:25. > :05:28.physically -- weeks. We needed a game like that to get to where we
:05:29. > :05:34.needed to be, and I was disappointed, but there is a bigger
:05:35. > :05:38.picture that we are looking at. Robson Carluke picked up an injury
:05:39. > :05:43.in Portugal which concerned us -- how Robson Carluke. He's a super
:05:44. > :05:48.athlete, though, he did the session yesterday with the squad. He did
:05:49. > :05:55.everything needed. Joe Allen looks good, no problems. You can sense how
:05:56. > :05:59.much everyone wants to be here. Joe Ledley deserves to be here we were
:06:00. > :06:07.never going to pick the squad and finalise it without giving him every
:06:08. > :06:15.opportunity. Maybe it will be was unjust to say he complained 90 --
:06:16. > :06:19.campaign 90 minutes on Saturday, but he can play a part, he has done
:06:20. > :06:24.brilliant. It is all about the first game, we have got to look at it like
:06:25. > :06:28.that. It is new territory, we can only take you by the next game, we
:06:29. > :06:37.have always done that in the next game. We are paying against Acer
:06:38. > :06:42.Bacuna team, we will probably be favourites -- we are playing against
:06:43. > :06:45.stuff it, they will be favourites in sales of their form and where they
:06:46. > :06:53.are in the rankings, but we have got a point to prove -- we are playing
:06:54. > :06:57.against Slovakia. I have been thinking about the game at the
:06:58. > :07:00.weekend. I cannot think of anything else and I don't think of anything
:07:01. > :07:04.else and that is what will be going through my thoughts.
:07:05. > :07:08.Wales are in Group B alongside England.
:07:09. > :07:12.Russia - winners of the first ever Euros back in 1960 - and Slovakia -
:07:13. > :07:15.who beat world champions Germany in one of the warm-up matches -
:07:16. > :07:19.Our man in the Wales camp for the tournament is Jason Mohammad
:07:20. > :07:25.and he joins us from Dinard in Northern France.
:07:26. > :07:35.Jason, there is a great deal of expectancy and excitement? Yes, very
:07:36. > :07:38.good evening. The sun is shining, beautiful, I was at training today
:07:39. > :07:44.and the players was so relaxed ahead of their first game against Slovakia
:07:45. > :07:47.in Bordeaux. Local schoolchildren were invited, Gareth Bale had a
:07:48. > :07:53.massive cheer when he ran out from the local children. There was a
:07:54. > :07:58.wave, as well. Joe Ledley took a full part in training, so don't be
:07:59. > :08:03.surprised if he has his name on the team sheet in some capacity in the
:08:04. > :08:08.group games, and Andy King was talking about how the FA of Wales
:08:09. > :08:12.have got this spot on in terms of finding this great location. They
:08:13. > :08:15.are just a handful of Wales fans here, he says you can go around and
:08:16. > :08:22.have a coffee, the players are very relaxed. But all over Wales, the
:08:23. > :08:27.fans are heading in their numbers to Bordeaux. It looks like a lovely
:08:28. > :08:34.spot, like Barry Island, but with sunshine. There is a relaxed mood,
:08:35. > :08:42.Chris Coleman was chiefly exposing a possible team selection. --
:08:43. > :08:47.cheekily. Yes, it does resemble Barry Island, the ice cream is just
:08:48. > :08:52.as good. Chris Coleman was pictured with a fantasy football team and I
:08:53. > :08:55.get the feeling he is poking fun at Ray Lewington who has been in the
:08:56. > :09:02.papers with a England formation ahead of their game against Russia
:09:03. > :09:05.on Saturday. I imagine that that will only intensify over the next
:09:06. > :09:10.couple of weeks as we look ahead to England against Wales. But we're not
:09:11. > :09:16.about a dog about that, it is all about three points against Slovakia
:09:17. > :09:21.in Bordeaux -- we are not allowed to talk about that. What a good job
:09:22. > :09:26.Chris Coleman has done. He has done a remarkable job. We had waited so
:09:27. > :09:32.long and we had Sony great managers that had not got over the line
:09:33. > :09:39.before him, Terry RF, Gary speed, God rest his soul, John Toshack,
:09:40. > :09:42.Mark Hughes. -- so many great. Chris Coleman has got to the holy Grail
:09:43. > :09:47.and has got us over the line, especially in the circumstances when
:09:48. > :09:54.he took the job, he was Murray close to Gary speed, and initially
:09:55. > :10:00.disappointing results -- very close. We lost 6-1 against Serbia, but then
:10:01. > :10:06.he got the players on board and then we had a remarkable qualification
:10:07. > :10:12.campaign. The only conceded four goals, we were defensively
:10:13. > :10:16.magnificent. Which player could be a star for Wales in this tournament,
:10:17. > :10:23.and I came up with a young player from Real Madrid. He is so
:10:24. > :10:27.explosive, he's also a team player, he will do his defensive duties and
:10:28. > :10:33.when he gets into space and when he gets the opportunity to run at
:10:34. > :10:38.players, he is unstoppable. Powerful in the air, look at that late, Alan
:10:39. > :10:45.Shearer would have been proud of that. -- leap. Free kicks, dead ball
:10:46. > :10:50.situations. This is him arriving in the box late. He has everything in
:10:51. > :10:58.his locker, and that was a great finish. Seven goals in qualifying,
:10:59. > :11:04.out of the 11, and the goals that he makes, as well, he's a great asset.
:11:05. > :11:08.Every team needs a star but it is also about a togetherness, and
:11:09. > :11:15.defensively they have been very strong, Wales. They have needed to
:11:16. > :11:18.be, they came up against very tough opposition, and as important as
:11:19. > :11:21.Gareth Bale is at the top end, they have Ashley Williams in the
:11:22. > :11:27.defensive area. He is just as important. He had a great
:11:28. > :11:30.qualification campaign for Wales. The back end of the season for
:11:31. > :11:36.Swansea was a bit indifferent, but there was tiredness. A number of
:11:37. > :11:44.examples here of him putting his body on the line. His distribution
:11:45. > :11:49.goes unnoticed, I think, they are great tackles, but when he is on the
:11:50. > :11:54.ball he calms them down, a lot of the time. Great recovery tackle
:11:55. > :12:01.Blair. They will need him to have a good tournament. -- there. OK.
:12:02. > :12:03.This is Roy Hodgson's third tournament as England manager.
:12:04. > :12:06.It represents a chance to put things right after the disappointment
:12:07. > :12:08.in Brazil two years ago where they failed to win a game.
:12:09. > :12:11.Gabby Logan has been keeping a close eye on Roy's squad
:12:12. > :12:30.This is Chantilly, the beating heart of French horse racing country, and
:12:31. > :12:37.24 miles north of Paris here, where Roy Hodgson has chosen to stable his
:12:38. > :12:41.thoroughbreds ahead of Euro 2016. England's arrival was low-key, the
:12:42. > :12:46.reception cordial, but expectations as always are high. Despite winning
:12:47. > :12:49.all ten qualifying games, pretournament friendlies offered
:12:50. > :12:52.more questions than answers, it is now down to the manager to prepare
:12:53. > :12:58.his players for the hurdles ahead. The feeling is great, more relaxed
:12:59. > :13:03.than before, we have always had a good camaraderie but this is
:13:04. > :13:06.different, the best I've experienced, even talking about
:13:07. > :13:10.playing at clubs, as well, it's a strange feeling to be part of
:13:11. > :13:14.something special. You come out here to try and impress, and against
:13:15. > :13:18.Russia you want the shirt. We need to be professional, and if we don't
:13:19. > :13:24.get the selection we need to show the togetherness as a team to cheer
:13:25. > :13:27.the other lads on. Exciting times, a great young squad, with a bit of
:13:28. > :13:36.experience, it is great to be involved. Each day the big kick-off
:13:37. > :13:40.gets closer, the build-up and excitement is drawing near and we
:13:41. > :13:45.are itching to go. We are at the mindset, this is our chance and it
:13:46. > :13:50.is time to seize it and hopefully it ends in a very spectacular way. Some
:13:51. > :13:53.players have not been in major tournaments before, and you have got
:13:54. > :13:56.to enjoy the moment, because not many people get the chance to come
:13:57. > :14:02.to major tournaments. They are fresh faces in the squad but we have known
:14:03. > :14:05.each other mainly for long periods, whether that is in the under age
:14:06. > :14:09.groups, so on the whole we get on very well and that makes it easier
:14:10. > :14:14.when you are spending 24 hours a day together. You said last week when
:14:15. > :14:21.you were asked who you would follow on Twitter in the squad, use a Jamie
:14:22. > :14:28.Vardy, is he that interesting? -- you said Jamie Vardy. Yes, yes. He
:14:29. > :14:33.is an interesting fella. After a few more days I might actually start
:14:34. > :14:37.following him. LAUGHTER England will move from their base in
:14:38. > :14:41.the northern countryside to the Mediterranean coast for their first
:14:42. > :14:43.test against Russia in Marseille. Will they falter at the first or can
:14:44. > :14:48.they go the distance this time? And Gabby joins us from Chantilly
:14:49. > :14:58.just 30 miles north of Paris. I believe everything is pretty
:14:59. > :15:03.relaxed, rather like it wasn't four years ago? Good evening. Yes,
:15:04. > :15:09.everything is very relaxed, last night we went out for some food in
:15:10. > :15:13.Chantilly. The coaching staff were at pains to say how fit everybody
:15:14. > :15:17.was and today we saw a group of players wandering through the town
:15:18. > :15:22.and it's a real horse racing town. They hardly turn their heads when a
:15:23. > :15:25.footballer walks by but there is a genuine feeling of a relaxed
:15:26. > :15:31.atmosphere like an crack of four years ago. Very different to 2010 in
:15:32. > :15:36.South Africa. That suits Roy and certainly his players. It looks
:15:37. > :15:42.rubbish there! Are you actually up to your waist in water? It is
:15:43. > :15:46.slightly deceptive. I can't tell you how stunning it is. There are
:15:47. > :15:51.waterways all over, it is beautiful, used to be the holiday home of the
:15:52. > :15:56.King of France, not this place but Chantilly itself. We are not in the
:15:57. > :16:01.posh end. It is stunning where they are staying. It is a cross between
:16:02. > :16:07.Newmarket and Bath and the best of The Cotswolds rolled together. Tell
:16:08. > :16:11.me about the fluffy lion. Chris Smalling travelled with it and he
:16:12. > :16:17.says that Joe Hart is now in charge. We think there may be forfeit going
:16:18. > :16:20.on for not looking it properly! I'm sure we will find out through the
:16:21. > :16:27.tournament. It reminds me of the song titles at Euro 96. I am sure we
:16:28. > :16:34.will learn more about it as the tournament goes on. Chris Smalling
:16:35. > :16:38.was quite funny about it. I can't imagine Fabio Capello allowing a
:16:39. > :16:45.lion to dominate in 2010, can you? A lot of debate about the setup,
:16:46. > :16:51.4-3-3, and all sorts of different setups, 4-4-2 even with a diamond.
:16:52. > :16:57.How will he do it? I hope he goes with a 4-3- 2-1. He's not really
:16:58. > :17:03.done though. It is only really less to run Watford who don't... Who play
:17:04. > :17:08.4-4-2. That is how I would like them setup. The left side has always been
:17:09. > :17:13.an issue since they lost well back. Rooney played there for 30 minutes
:17:14. > :17:19.against Portugal. Last week. He can do a job, but I feel that is how
:17:20. > :17:24.most of the players will be comfortable playing. They play like
:17:25. > :17:28.that week in week out. He has to improve the partnership between Kane
:17:29. > :17:35.and Dele Alli like they have at their club? Yes, look at the
:17:36. > :17:40.chemistry they have, when Dele Alli gets the ball Harry Kane just makes
:17:41. > :17:44.his runs without looking and half the time Dele Alli finds him.
:17:45. > :17:49.Unbelievable talent since joining from MK Dons. His rise has been
:17:50. > :17:54.phenomenal. Lovely positions on the half turn and again, as we
:17:55. > :17:59.mentioned, Harry Kane gets on his bike as he knows what's coming. This
:18:00. > :18:03.was special because, don't get me wrong, quick thinking, but both of
:18:04. > :18:07.you have to be thinking the same thing for it to work, there is no
:18:08. > :18:11.point just one of you doing it. These are just a few clips that we
:18:12. > :18:16.have picked out but we know having watched Spurs this season how
:18:17. > :18:21.important this is, how important they have been to the Tottenham
:18:22. > :18:25.season. For me, you have deeper Dele Alli in that position to give the
:18:26. > :18:29.support to the likes of Harry Kane. You will get the best out of Harry
:18:30. > :18:34.Kane if Dele Alli is further up the pitch. It is obviously difficult for
:18:35. > :18:39.Roy, lots of decisions and talented players but hopefully he plays Dele
:18:40. > :18:44.Alli just behind Harry Kane. Good problems, who to pick because of the
:18:45. > :18:50.talent upfront. Defensively everyone is worried? They have two solid
:18:51. > :18:55.full-backs in water and Rose, they will provide more width and play in
:18:56. > :18:58.the opposition half. Then it is whether you go with Smalling, who
:18:59. > :19:03.has had a knock this week, or Cahill. Or stones. Personally I
:19:04. > :19:07.would go with Smalling and stones, he is ready made for a big
:19:08. > :19:09.tournament and he has shown he is good enough. We will find out
:19:10. > :19:11.shortly. You can follow England and Wales'
:19:12. > :19:14.opening games across the BBC. Wales kick things off in Group B
:19:15. > :19:16.taking on Slovakia on Saturday Then England take on Russia -
:19:17. > :19:21.commentary on 5Live at 8 And if you fancy forecasting
:19:22. > :19:26.the scores for these matches and all the other games
:19:27. > :19:29.in the tournament, head to the BBC Sport website
:19:30. > :19:32.and play our new predictor game. If Wales have waited over 50 years
:19:33. > :19:35.to reach a major tournament, it's been just 30 for Northern
:19:36. > :19:39.Ireland. The success of Michael O'Neill's
:19:40. > :19:42.side seems to have come from nowhere but they have a number
:19:43. > :19:56.of experienced pros and could cause Qualification over what is
:19:57. > :20:01.essentially a 14 month period with ten tough games, to only lose one
:20:02. > :20:07.game and subsequently be unbeaten since then gives me great confidence
:20:08. > :20:12.obviously that we are in good shape. There is a lot of players now that
:20:13. > :20:15.have got accustomed to playing international football, they are
:20:16. > :20:19.coming in in a good frame of mind, coming into a team where they are
:20:20. > :20:24.getting results. They are ranked higher than they've ever been. And
:20:25. > :20:27.they are the group winners as well. When you put all of those into the
:20:28. > :20:31.next then hopefully if you're not going to have belief you're never
:20:32. > :20:36.going to have it, and you will face a tough group. We are aiming to
:20:37. > :20:41.spring a few surprises and hopefully we can get beyond the group stages.
:20:42. > :20:45.How important is the opening game of the campaign for Northern Ireland?
:20:46. > :20:49.It's essential when you are a small country, you need to be able to get
:20:50. > :20:54.momentum and belief in the squad and it can rise dramatically. I look at
:20:55. > :20:57.our squad after three straight qualifying wins and it was a
:20:58. > :21:01.different group of players. They had evolved into a different group of
:21:02. > :21:06.players in a very short space of time. If we can win the opening game
:21:07. > :21:11.or certainly not lose, you put yourself in the situation of winning
:21:12. > :21:15.one of the other two games and you can qualify. This is a good bunch of
:21:16. > :21:20.players, very genuine. A humble bunch of players as well. We would
:21:21. > :21:24.hope that we would be everyone's other team, to be honest, Leicester
:21:25. > :21:28.got that level of support from everyone else in the Premier League
:21:29. > :21:32.and everybody genuinely outside their own team wanted Leicester to
:21:33. > :21:37.win. There is an honesty in our team, very hard-working. There is no
:21:38. > :21:41.lack of quality either, I don't want people to think that it's a
:21:42. > :21:46.one-dimensional team who will be difficult to beat and hard-working,
:21:47. > :21:50.at the end of the day we were the top goal-scorers in our group,
:21:51. > :21:55.scoring 18 goals in ten games. It is most important that those are the
:21:56. > :21:58.qualities that will keep us competitive.
:21:59. > :22:00.Northern Ireland are in Group C and play their opening match
:22:01. > :22:05.Then it's a trip to Lyon to play Ukraine, followed
:22:06. > :22:12.by World Champions Germany here in Paris.
:22:13. > :22:14.Saint-Georges-de-Reneins, just north of Lyon, is their base
:22:15. > :22:17.and Stephen Watson is our man with the team...
:22:18. > :22:23.There must be great euphoria and excitement in the Northern Irish
:22:24. > :22:28.camp? Absolutely, Gary. Northern Ireland arrived as the inform team,
:22:29. > :22:33.unbeaten in 12 games, the best record out of any side at Euro 2016.
:22:34. > :22:37.Yes, Northern Ireland don't have many major stars in their side, just
:22:38. > :22:42.five English Premier League players for example, but they do have a
:22:43. > :22:47.belief, a bond, and they are hard to beat. In their last 20 games they
:22:48. > :22:51.have only conceded one first half goal which gives them the ability to
:22:52. > :22:56.stay in matches, only losing one in 11 games and on that occasion
:22:57. > :23:02.without their captain Steven Davies. That shows you the importance of
:23:03. > :23:06.their captain, they have topped their group in qualifying and they
:23:07. > :23:11.say they have momentum and no fear. You are making me believe they can
:23:12. > :23:18.win! There is a doubt over Kyle Lafferty, their striker? Yes. The
:23:19. > :23:21.Northern Ireland captain insists that he will be fit, and he gave a
:23:22. > :23:26.thumbs up on social media today to say that the results on a scan on
:23:27. > :23:31.his groin were positive and he would be fit to play Poland on Sunday but
:23:32. > :23:34.the pictures perhaps tell a different story, in a lot of pain
:23:35. > :23:39.when it happened and did not train today and he is still walking
:23:40. > :23:44.gingerly. Seven goals in qualifying were instrumental in helping
:23:45. > :23:46.Northern Ireland reach their first-ever European Championship
:23:47. > :23:49.finals and we will be guessing for a little longer whether he will be
:23:50. > :23:56.100% fit to play this weekend. Thanks. Northern Ireland have done
:23:57. > :24:01.marvellously to get here, great form, 12 unbeaten and a togetherness
:24:02. > :24:06.of spirit? Yes, and good players. They have the underdog tag which has
:24:07. > :24:10.helped them, but they have got experience, Jonny Evans at the back,
:24:11. > :24:13.Kyle Lafferty coming up trumps and scoring goals for them. Of course
:24:14. > :24:22.Chris Brunt is unfortunately not here. Michael O'Neill has done a
:24:23. > :24:28.fantastic job, as I said, McGovern in gold, very young goalkeeper who
:24:29. > :24:35.was at Celtic like myself. Davies had a great season for Southampton,
:24:36. > :24:40.ex-Rangers. He has had a really good season, and a very nice footballer,
:24:41. > :24:44.Steven Davies. Sometimes very underrated, Steven Davies, he has
:24:45. > :24:49.always gone about his business from when he was a young lad at Villa and
:24:50. > :24:53.then at Rangers and now Southampton. I feel like he's had a really good
:24:54. > :24:57.season at Southampton, he is one of those midfielders who can play
:24:58. > :25:02.anywhere, technically very gifted. He goes past players and can see a
:25:03. > :25:05.pass, and for the Northern Ireland signed he might as well be renowned
:25:06. > :25:10.though because the players around him are not at his level, with all
:25:11. > :25:15.respect, they are just not, he is a top end Premier League player and
:25:16. > :25:18.they do all they can to get the best out of Steven Davies, and that is
:25:19. > :25:27.one of their really good traits that I hope they can focus on and enable
:25:28. > :25:30.them to do what they are capable of. Countries like Northern Ireland
:25:31. > :25:35.can't afford to lose their best players, Kyle Lafferty is a doubt.
:25:36. > :25:42.They need him fit. Yes, and they don't have that long to do it. But
:25:43. > :25:48.he is a good player. He has done very well, because he wasn't playing
:25:49. > :25:52.club football, so whenever he was going away at international level it
:25:53. > :25:57.was like he was getting gametime with international football. Seven
:25:58. > :26:00.goals, the same as Gareth Bale, and he is a real hero for them. He could
:26:01. > :26:03.be if he scores one or two more. In Northern Ireland's way
:26:04. > :26:06.are World Champions Germany. Joachim Low's side are not
:26:07. > :26:26.in the greatest of form, Schurrle working it in. There was
:26:27. > :26:31.only one team in Brazil that deserves to win. Germany rules the
:26:32. > :26:35.world again. It took some of the disasters of Euro 2000 and 2004 to
:26:36. > :26:42.realise that what they did before was not right. The big role model in
:26:43. > :26:48.that is Spain, Spain is what we all look at. How can they be so
:26:49. > :26:52.consistent and so hungry? It is now a big opportunity for the German
:26:53. > :26:58.side to say, we have youth but it takes more than that. Schurrle. It
:26:59. > :27:05.is seven. This German team now finds way to add even more quality. We
:27:06. > :27:14.have a very young squad. We have a good mix of experienced players. We
:27:15. > :27:20.are world champions. We are aiming to win the Euros. The Euros will be
:27:21. > :27:24.a good benchmark for the up-and-coming players to see how
:27:25. > :27:29.aggressive they are to go for the title as well. I think Germany have
:27:30. > :27:35.enough to win this competition but they might not have this total drive
:27:36. > :27:44.and 100% dedication that they had at the World Cup. It really was a sense
:27:45. > :27:48.of now or never. Joachim Low has been in charge of Germany for ten
:27:49. > :27:52.years and has done a pretty good job, culminating in winning the
:27:53. > :27:57.World Cup. Can they be like Spain and dominate for a while? I think
:27:58. > :28:03.they can. They looked brilliant in the qualifiers, they lost to the
:28:04. > :28:08.Republic, so for me they still have good players, Thomas Muller is a
:28:09. > :28:12.good player, Joachim Low has had this group for pretty much ten years
:28:13. > :28:15.which is a long time for an international manager. In the last
:28:16. > :28:20.five major tournaments Germany have either reached the semifinal or the
:28:21. > :28:25.final. They keep doing it, don't they? It would be foolish to rule
:28:26. > :28:29.them out. We never would, that's for sure. Thomas Muller is a quirky
:28:30. > :28:33.individual, proven goal-scorer. He doesn't always look like a
:28:34. > :28:37.footballer but he delivers. He is quirky, playing on the right for
:28:38. > :28:42.Bayern Munich and Germany but they rely on him heavily for goals.
:28:43. > :28:47.Without Klose they don't have that out and out striker that they
:28:48. > :28:51.probably miss. He is one of those strikers, midfielders, whatever you
:28:52. > :28:56.call him, always in the right place at the right time and that is a gift
:28:57. > :29:01.in itself. He is hard on the eye, but it doesn't matter. You know
:29:02. > :29:06.yourself that that is what matters, putting it in the net. That is why
:29:07. > :29:10.he is so important to the team. They have obviously been phenomenal but
:29:11. > :29:12.he is a big part of the reason. He certainly is.
:29:13. > :29:15.Both Northern Ireland and Germany's opening games will be on the BBC.
:29:16. > :29:27.One of the favourites for the trophy alongside Germany are hosts France.
:29:28. > :29:30.They have an exceptional squad of real depth and quality
:29:31. > :29:33.with genuine hope that the home nation can repeat its
:29:34. > :29:51.France's history with the Euros goes way back to the start, we lost in
:29:52. > :30:01.the first tournament in 1960. In 1984 France hosted the Euros again
:30:02. > :30:04.-- we hosted the first tournament. The Euros are almost here again, the
:30:05. > :30:09.first time we have hosted a tournament since the World Cup in
:30:10. > :30:16.1998. I was 12 when I was watching TV, I was dreaming, that hopefully
:30:17. > :30:21.one day I could be on that pitch and do the same thing as them. In 1998
:30:22. > :30:27.we were known as a team who will not conceding, very hard to beat, and in
:30:28. > :30:32.2000 it was the right mix, and we had a man who could make a
:30:33. > :30:39.difference at any time. Euro 2016 is bigger than ever, with the final in
:30:40. > :30:46.Paris, in Stade de France, but last year the stadium was a target for
:30:47. > :30:53.attacks by terrorists. It was a very sad moment, very difficult. What
:30:54. > :31:01.happened in November. It will be nice to win for those victims.
:31:02. > :31:08.France is facing a problem, socially, at the security level, we
:31:09. > :31:14.need football to be there for us, to have hope, this is something very
:31:15. > :31:16.important. There is a lot of expectation around the French
:31:17. > :31:23.national team, but that is normal, it is a big tournament. I feel the
:31:24. > :31:27.pressure, that the players must experience, and it is great, this is
:31:28. > :31:34.where you see the top player who can attract this pressure and roll it
:31:35. > :31:39.and bring it to performance, and I hope they will be able to do it. We
:31:40. > :31:44.need to go step-by-step and try to win our first game and then after in
:31:45. > :31:49.football everything is possible, you need to believe. We have a good
:31:50. > :31:56.side, some young players are fantastic. I think we have to get
:31:57. > :32:07.that winning mentality. We have won the last two home competitions. So
:32:08. > :32:16.maybe we can do it. France open up proceedings on Friday night, the
:32:17. > :32:20.first match of the tournament. There is always pressure on the hosts, but
:32:21. > :32:26.also the advantage of having the home crowd. Of course. England won
:32:27. > :32:33.their only major tournament at home at Wembley. Thanks for reminding us.
:32:34. > :32:38.France have won the European Championships in 1984 and the World
:32:39. > :32:42.Cup in 1998 and they thrive under the pressure of being the host
:32:43. > :32:47.nation. They have got lots of star players, right throughout their
:32:48. > :32:52.squad. No Benzema, but Griezmann has had a great time this season. He's a
:32:53. > :32:58.special talent, Griezmann, he has come to the forefront for Atletico,
:32:59. > :33:01.he plays on the right-hand side, he can play behind the striker and he
:33:02. > :33:09.to drop deep and dictate games and break defences. For Francie has been
:33:10. > :33:11.a big part of the way they play, he makes runs behind defences and
:33:12. > :33:17.creates opportunities for his team-mates -- for France he has
:33:18. > :33:22.been. A very skilful player and he is rated very highly by Didier
:33:23. > :33:26.Deschamp. That touch shows real class, he makes it look easy but it
:33:27. > :33:29.isn't. He's not renowned for that, but he's more than capable. A
:33:30. > :33:34.special talent they have within their ranks, something for Didier
:33:35. > :33:39.Deschamp to be very happy about. Didier Deschamp lifted the trophy as
:33:40. > :33:46.a player in 1998. Can he lead the team? Yes, he has a great group of
:33:47. > :33:49.players. The likes of Paul Pogba, one of the most sought after young
:33:50. > :33:55.players in the world right now. Dimitri Payet lit up the Premier
:33:56. > :34:00.League last season. And then Griezmann. They are the favourites
:34:01. > :34:06.for me. I think they have a great chance. What about the nation, they
:34:07. > :34:09.will get behind them? The first game is very important, if they get off
:34:10. > :34:10.to a good start with a good performance, the nation will get
:34:11. > :34:12.behind them. The Republic of Ireland
:34:13. > :34:14.have one of the toughest groups featuring Belgium,
:34:15. > :34:16.Italy and Sweden - a challenge for their management duo
:34:17. > :34:32.of Roy Keane and Martin O'Neill. From the outside looking in,
:34:33. > :34:37.everyone thought yourself and Roy Keane would be a strange mixture,
:34:38. > :34:40.why does it work? At this moment, I can speak from a position of
:34:41. > :34:46.strength because we have qualified, but if we had not qualified people
:34:47. > :34:50.would say it did not work. We meet each other occasionally outside, but
:34:51. > :34:56.we don't socialise. Women go into the camp, we are there to work, --
:34:57. > :35:00.when we go into the camp. These players would have had Roy Keane as
:35:01. > :35:03.their hero, and I can say it has worked because we have qualified, if
:35:04. > :35:10.we hadn't it would have been the biggest disaster of all time. The
:35:11. > :35:13.player 's job is to give the manager a headache, sometimes we make
:35:14. > :35:17.excuses for players, they have not played much football club but they
:35:18. > :35:20.are still training and you can get physically in good shape, and you
:35:21. > :35:24.can lack match sharpness, but you have got to get yourself in a good
:35:25. > :35:28.state. You are playing international football, controlled the bloody
:35:29. > :35:37.ball, pass and move and if you lose it, run back. And run back like you
:35:38. > :35:42.care. Qualification was great, but that is in the past, what we want to
:35:43. > :35:49.do is go in and be as strong as we possibly can and we want to be as
:35:50. > :35:52.ready as we can for every eventuality and that we leave no
:35:53. > :35:55.stone unturned in terms of preparation.
:35:56. > :35:57.The Republic get Group E underway against Zlatan
:35:58. > :36:05.Belgium face Italy in the evening match.
:36:06. > :36:11.A boost for the Republic of Ireland, the news that there is an extension
:36:12. > :36:17.to the contracts of Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane, who had done a good
:36:18. > :36:20.job together. Great job. They have got very good individuals, but it
:36:21. > :36:24.was about bringing them together and they have done that. For Martin
:36:25. > :36:27.O'Neill and Roy Keane, it is all good news that they will be there
:36:28. > :36:33.for another couple of years. They lost all three games four years ago
:36:34. > :36:38.in the Euros and Roy Keane has been trying to Stoke them up. He has made
:36:39. > :36:42.an impact. They have qualified through the play-offs, beating
:36:43. > :36:47.Bosnia. They are there on merit, and they will need to do better than
:36:48. > :36:55.they did in 2012, not winning a single game. It was a tough group.
:36:56. > :37:00.Belgium, Italy. Vincent Kompany will be working in the studio for us. And
:37:01. > :37:07.also Sweden and Ibrahimovic, quite possibly his last tournament. Yes,
:37:08. > :37:11.quite possibly. Only one thing we need to say about him, it is all in
:37:12. > :37:18.this clip, great technique. He's a world star, and he had a great
:37:19. > :37:24.season at Paris Saint-Germain. He will be very welcome in this
:37:25. > :37:32.country. He is a huge talent. From one superstar to another.
:37:33. > :37:47.COMMENTATOR: Ronaldo! Magnificently taken goal. Ronaldo has timed his
:37:48. > :37:57.run and he has got his goal. Wonderful movement. He took his time
:37:58. > :38:02.and picked his spot. He has done it. Could it be his tournament?
:38:03. > :38:05.Ronaldo and Portugal are in Group F alongside Austria,
:38:06. > :38:08.Hungry and Iceland but have to wait until Tuesday to get
:38:09. > :38:19.With Ronaldo, has he got a good enough team with him to get him the
:38:20. > :38:24.important national victory? That is what it has always been about, it is
:38:25. > :38:27.not so much about his age. He's a good age and he keeps himself fit,
:38:28. > :38:31.but is there enough coming through the ranks to him get there? He will
:38:32. > :38:37.be doing everything he can to get them to another final. He has missed
:38:38. > :38:39.out in one final, losing against Greece, but we will see. He will be
:38:40. > :38:44.hoping he can. Certainly well. Last, but certainly not least,
:38:45. > :38:46.are the defending champions Spain. La Liga boasts the winners of both
:38:47. > :38:49.the Champions League and Europa league, but as for their national
:38:50. > :39:01.team, they need to up their game In 2008 no one expected us to win
:39:02. > :39:11.and in 2010 everyone expected us to win. We went to the Euros in 2012
:39:12. > :39:18.and you won it again. How was it, approaching the third one? At the
:39:19. > :39:23.three tournaments, we felt, at least myself, I felt more dominant and
:39:24. > :39:27.more confident and I think as a team we played fantastically well.
:39:28. > :39:37.COMMENTATOR: They are appealing for offside, but it is four! Records
:39:38. > :39:42.tumbling all around us. Spain are out and the group stage has not even
:39:43. > :39:47.finished yet. You failed at the World Cup, and now you have got to
:39:48. > :39:53.prove that was a mistake. What about this one? You have two approach it
:39:54. > :39:57.in a way that you have two prove a point, not just to people who were
:39:58. > :40:01.disappointed with us at the World Cup, but also for ourselves, the way
:40:02. > :40:05.we went out and the way we played, we felt we were not ourselves and
:40:06. > :40:14.now we have to prove this point without the likes of Xavi. The likes
:40:15. > :40:20.of Iniesta and myself and Silva, we have got to step forward. We have
:40:21. > :40:24.some young players pushing up like Alvaro Morata and cocoa. It is
:40:25. > :40:29.important. -- Koke. Spain are in Group D,
:40:30. > :40:32.alongside Turkey, Croatia Turkey face Croatia on Sunday,
:40:33. > :40:47.Spain start the following day. Eight out of 11 of the starting
:40:48. > :40:50.line-up from four years ago, it is just a question of whether they are
:40:51. > :40:55.going slightly over the top, that great group of players. The
:40:56. > :40:58.qualification campaign was not as confident as we would normally see
:40:59. > :41:01.from Spain, and there could be questions, but if you look at the
:41:02. > :41:08.Champions League final, two Spanish teams. And the players that you
:41:09. > :41:11.named who played in the last European Championship final, what a
:41:12. > :41:16.squad they have. Just phenomenal. You cannot underestimate what they
:41:17. > :41:23.have got in their ranks, they are one to look out for. Possible
:41:24. > :41:29.witnesses, the central striker position, but Alvaro Morata has come
:41:30. > :41:33.through? -- possible witnesses. He has got to step up and be a similar
:41:34. > :41:38.player to David Villa, lively and gets goals. They still have great
:41:39. > :41:43.players. I don't think they will be far away. They have a group that you
:41:44. > :41:49.would think they would comfortably qualify from. You would think so.
:41:50. > :41:52.Croatia could be tricky, they have talented players, but what they have
:41:53. > :41:56.at their disposal, I expect them to go through the group very
:41:57. > :42:01.comfortably, but that is the only game they will find difficult.
:42:02. > :42:08.Looking at the tournament. Will it be open and free flowing? We hope
:42:09. > :42:15.so. So many games. The group games, the first couple of weeks, three
:42:16. > :42:18.games every day, but France, they enjoy playing on home soil, they
:42:19. > :42:22.have proven that with the tournaments they have won in the
:42:23. > :42:27.past and we know about Germany, how far can England go? I think it would
:42:28. > :42:34.be a great tournament. You fancy France, but what about you? I have
:42:35. > :42:40.gone with France most of the time, but England, who knows? Leicester
:42:41. > :42:49.won the league. Did you just say England? Truly very bold. Well,
:42:50. > :42:52.Leicester won Billy, so we will say. -- won the league. What a great way
:42:53. > :42:54.to finish. That's all from us -
:42:55. > :42:57.just want you to point towards the BBC Match
:42:58. > :42:59.of the Day Snapchat. Jermaine will be posting
:43:00. > :43:01.on there everyday giving a flavour We'll be back on Friday
:43:02. > :43:05.as the tournament gets underway On July 10th, who will be lifting
:43:06. > :43:46.the trophy and add their name COMMENTATOR: They have done it,
:43:47. > :44:01.France are European champions! I say, what a goal! France are won the
:44:02. > :44:04.European Championship! Spain are the European champions.