On Thursday, France face Germany in the semi-finals of the Euros and Olivier Giroud has admitted that they’re all fully aware that the Germans are the favourites.

The striker, who assisted one and scored two against Iceland to help put his country through to this stage in the tournament, described the win as ‘fun’ but acknowledged that they also shipped two goals, which isn’t good enough.

“We’re very pleased, we scored five goals, although we did concede a couple we had a lot of fun and are pleased with our performance,” he said.

“We’re going to try and erase a few of these small defensive mistakes because against Germany we’d pay a heavy price.

“Are we confident? No, because they are the world champions and favourites. But we’d like to write another chapter in French football history. 

“We came out fighting right from the outset. That was a little bit where we’ve been struggling since the start of the tournament.”

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PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 03: Olivier Giroud of France celebrates his team’s 5-2 win after the UEFA EURO 2016 quarter final match between France and Iceland at Stade de France on July 3, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Indeed, as good as the French were going forward, conceding two goals against Iceland, with all due respect, highlights their defensive frailties and this is something they need to nip in the bud before Thursday.

Saying this, Laurent Koscielny, who played centre-back against Iceland, actually put in another solid performance. His passing was brilliant and he was everything we’ve come to expect: confident, assured and professional.

Will France’s firepower be enough to overcome the sturdy Germans, who only beat Portugal on (some very poorly taken) penalties? I don’t think it’ll be as one-sided as people expect.