Euro 2016: France erupts into celebrations as national football team reach final

Full-time: Germany 0-2 France

• Hosts will meet Portugal in Sundays final after an impressive victory over the reigning world champions in front of a partisan crowd in Marseille
• Germany thoroughly dominated the opening 45 minutes at the Stade Velodrome, but were unable to break the deadlock and fell behind through an Antoine Griezmann penalty on the stroke of half-time after Bastian Schweinsteiger was penalised for handball
• Euro 2016s top scorer later extended his tally to six by poking home a loose ball after Manuel Neuer had failed to clear Paul Pogbas cross

So there we have it, Sundays Euro 2016 final at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis will be contested between hosts France and Portugal.

We will have live coverage of that clash on IBTimes UK from 18.30 BST. Be sure to join us then.

Goodbye for now.

Full-time

Germany 0-2 France

A roar goes up in Marseille to greet the referees whistle. However, hes only blown for offside and the wait continues...

Lloris produces a magnificent one-handed save to keep his clean sheet intact after Mustafis cross is headed goal-bound by Kimmich.

Gotze then nods across goal and wide. They just cannot break down this stubborn French resistance.

Griezmann rightly receives a noisy standing ovation as he is withdrawn and replaced by Yohan Cabaye.

What a sensational tournament he is having.

A shellshocked Germany search for another late opening but this game is clearly beyond them now.

Four minutes of added time for France to endure before the celebrations can begin in Marseille.

Griezmann breaks clear and looks to seal a memorable hat-trick, but his effort lacks power and trickles into the arms of Neuer.

How good has Sissoko been tonight, by the way?

Germany again go close to reducing the arrears as Howedes gets the better of Umtiti and whistles a header narrowly over Lloris crossbar.

This has just not been their night.

Gignac comes on for Giroud and Leroy Sane gets his first taste of Euro 2016 after replacing Schweinsteiger.

The 20-year-old Schalke winger, who has been heavily linked with Manchester City over recent weeks, almost scores with his first touch before Mustafi fires hopelessly over the top.

Time is running out for Germany.

Looking to quickly atone for his error, young Kimmich comes forward and bends a lovely effort with his weaker left foot that beats Lloris before crashing against the post.

Draxler then whips a free-kick narrowly wide. Germany are not finished yet, but they have a real mountain to climb.

Germany concede their first goal of the entire tournament from open play. A poor touch from Kimmich in the box opens the door for Pogba, who stands up Mustafi before a brilliant trick opens up space for the cross.

Neuer, looking to keep the ball away from a lurking Giroud, fails to generate much power on his punch in no mans land and Griezmann is alert to stab the ball home with his left boot.

Thats his second of the night and his sixth of the competition to date. That may well be curtains for Germany.

Goal: Germany 0-2 France (Antoine Griezmann)

Mustafi stoops low to head a free-kick over the crossbar.

France replace Payet with Kante.

An irate Low has seen enough and sends on Gotze in place of Can. Umtiti makes another good clearance under pressure from Draxler but Germany concede a free-kick and their corner comes to nothing.

France win a corner and Griezmanns back-post delivery is headed on to the roof of the net by Koscielny.

Payet is understandably dazed after taking a heavy shot to the face. 65 minutes gone and Les Bleus are heading to the final at it stands.

Boateng looks to have hurt his hamstring while playing a sweeping long pass. He hobbles off the field with the help of two physios and will definitely not be able to continue.

Valencias Mustafi comes on in his place. A massive blow for Germany to lose arguably the best centre-half in European football at the moment.

Low cuts a picture of frustration on the sidelines.

There was a bit of a dive a few minutes ago from Can, who responded by high fiving the referee. Hes walking a tightrope on that yellow card.

Boateng down and receiving treatment now for Germany.

Umtiti rises again to clear the danger for France at the vital moment. He has been magnificent on only his second international outing.

€25m looks like a real bargain for Barcelona.

More strong defending from Umtiti, who has really impressed in these opening 55 minutes. Evra then stands firm to bully Draxler off the ball and shepherd it out for a goal kick.

Draxler into the book now for a wild lunge on Bacary Sagna. No real response from Germany so far.

A fast start to the second period from France as Giroud has an effort blocked and Griezmanns latest attempt is diverted behind by Boateng.

The second half is off and running. No changes from either side as of yet. Ozil has apparently picked up a yellow card for his reaction to that penalty decision.

The awarding of that spot-kick appears to have caused a lot of division and bickering across social media, although Im not quite sure why. While you can make the argument that it wasnt quite an intentional handball from Schweinsteiger, he was incredibly silly to lead with his arm like that.

Its just asking for trouble, particularly after Boatengs mistake against Italy. He can have no complaints.

Half-time

Germany 0-1 France

After being dominated for all of about five minutes in this opening 45, France edge ahead from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time.

There is a lot of confusion about what has happened before it emerges that Schweinsteiger put his hand up to handle a corner while challenging with Evra.

He joins Can in the book and Griezmann steps up to send Neuer the wrong way from the spot. That is his fifth goal in six games at Euro 2016.

The Stade Velodrome erupts.

Goal: Germany 0-1 France (Antoine Griezmann)

Giroud gets the better of Boateng in the air to charge clean through with a lot of distance to cover. The ponderous Gunners striker looks like he is wading through treacle and is thwarted by a sensational covering challenge from Howedes.

Fantastic defending. The Schalke skipper roars in celebration.

Schweinsteiger appeals in vain for a penalty after claiming he was dragged down by Pogba while jostling for supremacy at a corner.

Danger man Griezmann then flashes a left-footed warning shot into the side netting.

Payet hands over free-kick duties to Pogba, who also fails to trouble Neuer from distance.

At the other end, Matuidi concedes possession cheaply and Muller produces an ambitious shot from a tricky angle that is stopped by Lloris.

Can receives the first yellow card of the night for bringing down a rampaging Griezmann. The Liverpool man is incensed with the decision and looks as if he is going to square up to referee Rizzoli.

Muller has a few stern words for his teammate to get him to calm down.

Muller narrowly fails to connect with a searching cross from the right but recovers to try and force home a loose ball from close range. Vital defending from Umtiti to clear.

If things continue in a similar vein, it surely wont be long until Deschamps introduces Kante. France desperately require a more biting defensive presence in that midfield alongside Pogba and Matuidi.

Ozil mishits a volley and the ball finds its way into the path of Schweinsteiger. The injury-plagued skipper unleashes a fierce drive that is helped on its way over by Lloris.

You cant take your eyes off this match for a second. Its been a very exciting opening half an hour and dominant Germany have played some terrific football. France need to rediscover a foothold, or at least prove devastatingly effective on the counter-attack if they are to have a chance of reaching the final.

Schweinsteiger is foolish to give away a free-kick in what has now become universally renowned as Payet territory.

The West Ham star steps up to bend an effort over the wall that is well taken by Neuer.

The excellent Kroos instigates a beautiful one-two before demonstrating a serious change of pace. He successfully rides once challenge from Matuidi and looks to break into the box, where he is stopped by a combination of Pogba and Umtiti.

He wants a foul for the contact from Pogba, but Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli is unmoved.

The Germans are really monopolising possession now and its a bit of a test of patience/endurance for France. Matuidi concedes a corner that is easily cleared.

A swift break is then curtailed by the experienced Schweinsteiger.

Momentum has firmly swung in Germanys direction over the last few minutes. Hugo Lloris scrambles across his goal to keep out a well-struck effort from Can and Koscielny blocks the follow up from Arsenal teammate Ozil.

Muller then tries his luck with a strike from distance that is comfortably held.

Germany are beginning to settle now after that furiously noisy opening. Can is released down the right flank and provides a decent low cross that a sliding Muller slices wide.

How the Bayern Munich star would surely love to end his Euro goal drought tonight.

Having dominated from the off, France carve out the first opportunity of the night when Matuidi and Griezmann combine in a slick passive move. The latter drifts across the edge of the box and shows good skill before firing a low effort that is tipped away by the outstretched arm of Neuer.

Great athleticism from the German number one.

The embryonic stages of this contest are being played at a frenetic pace. The ball is ricocheting around everywhere and Kimmich has to be alert to stop Sissokos pass reaching Payet at the back post.

Les Bleus very much on the front foot.

An early break from Payet, who beats Kimmich and forces a corner off the arm of Can. Sissokos cross is then blocked by Hector.

A positive start from France amid deafening support from the stands.

Germanys passionate national anthem gives way to a truly stirring rendition of La Marseillaise. We are just about ready to get underway.

There is a lively and vibrant atmosphere building inside the Stade Velodrome, as you might expect on a momentous occasion such as this. The hosts will be backed by a vocal, fanatical crowd in Marseille, but that is unlikely to phase a team as richly experienced in the big events as Germany.

National anthems to come.

Overall, France have won 12, drawn six and lost 10 of their previous 28 matches against tonights opponents. A quarter-final header from Hummels knocked them out of the 2014 World Cup at the Maracana.

Their last contest was in November 2015, when Giroud and Andre-Pierre Gignac both scored in a 2-0 victory on the same night as those awful attacks in Paris.

These two teams have met five times already in major competition, but never in a European Championship. Perhaps their most famous meeting came in Seville 34 years ago, when a 3-3 semi-final draw led to eventual runners-up West Germany becoming the first team to win a World Cup penalty shootout.

That match has gone down in infamy for a ludicrously awful challenge from goalkeeper Harald Schumacher that rendered Patrick Battiston unconscious and left him with two less teeth and nursing three broken ribs. Amazingly, referee Charles Corver did not even award a foul.

France approached this tournament against a backdrop of significant social and labour unrest, terrorism fears and a national state of emergency that has been in place ever since the tragic events in Paris last November.

Returning to a charged atmosphere at the Stade de France for their opener against Romania, Les Bleus, who have won both previous tournaments on home soil at Euro 84 and the 1998 World Cup, were underwhelming for long periods before finally taking the lead through a Giroud header. Dimitri Payet sealed victory with a stunning late strike after Patrice Evra had clumsily conceded a penalty.

It was a similar story against Albania, with the tournament minnows defending valiantly until coming unstuck to stoppage-time goals from Griezmann and Payet. Deschamps made several changes for a meeting with Switzerland that saw France hit the woodwork three times before sealing top spot in Group A with a goalless draw.

Pogba paid the price for an early foul on Shane Long in the last-16 contest with the Republic of Ireland as Robbie Brady made no mistake from the spot. Les Bleus endured a torrid first half in Lyon, but eventually survived that scare when two goals in quick succession from the impressive Griezmann turned the tide in their favour. Shane Duffys red card all but ended Irish hopes of a comeback.

France came to the boil nicely in the quarter-finals last Sunday night, savagely ending plucky Icelands fairytale run with an emphatic 5-2 win in Saint-Denis. Giroud bagged himself a brace, while Pogba, Payet and Griezmann also registered on the scoresheet. The hosts were 4-0 to the good at half-time.

So how did each side make it to the semi-finals?

Germany kicked off their quest for a record-breaking fourth European title and a first since 1996 with a rather tame 2-0 victory over Ukraine secured courtesy of goals from Shkodran Mustafi and late substitute Schweinsteiger.

They were subsequently involved in a truly dour goalless draw with old rivals Poland and topped Group C thanks to a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland. Die Mannschaft absolutely dominated that game in Paris, but only scored once in the first half through Gomez after beingcontinually frustrated by a series of outstanding saves from goalkeeper Michael McGovern.

Lows side enjoyed more luck in front of goal against Slovakia in the last-16, with Jerome Boateng, Gomez and Julian Draxler all notching in a 3-0 rout.

That latter win set-up a quarter-final showdown with Italy, a team they had never previously beaten in eight competitive matches. Ozil broke the deadlock by finishing a lovely passing move just past the hour mark, but an inexplicable handball from the otherwise colossal Boateng allowed Leonardo Bonucci to equalise from the spot.

The tie eventually progressed to a rather farcical penalty shootout that saw Muller, Ozil and Schweinsteiger all miss. Thankfully for Germany, however, the comical Simone Zaza, Graziano Pelle and Bonucci all did likewise before Manuel Neuer saved from Matteo Darmian. Jonas Hector slid the winning effort under Gianluigi Buffon.

Not the sort of performance from 12 yards that we have come to expect, but nevertheless it maintained their truly formidable record of 40 years without a penalty defeat. Could that change tonight?

France have named an unchanged side in consecutive matches for the first time ever in this competition. Moussa Sissoko of Newcastle retains his place ahead of Kante and Deschamps chooses to keep faith with Umtiti rather than immediately restore Rami.

Sissoko will line up on the right, allowing top scorer Antoine Griezmann to patrol that dangerous area behind central striker Olivier Giroud. Blaise Matuidi and Paul Pogba, who has today been subject to fresh rumours over a £100m world-record switch back to Manchester United, keep things ticking over in midfield.

Germany make two enforced changes from the Italy game, with Schweinsteiger deputising for Khedira and Liverpools Emre Can replacing Gomez.

Those two will likely form a midfield three alongside Toni Kroos, with Thomas Muller, who is yet to score a single goal at the European Championship despite his formidable World Cup record, pushed forward and flanked by Mesut Ozil and Julian Draxler.

Low thankfully resists the temptation to rekindle his failed false nine experiment with Mario Gotze. It looks like he has opted for a switch to 4-3-3 instead. Joshua Kimmich is at right-back.

France XI to face Germany: Lloris, Sagna, Koscielny, Umtiti, Evra, Pogba, Matuidi, Sissoko, Griezmann, Payet, Giroud

Germany XI to face France: Neuer, Hector, Boateng, Howedes, Kimmich, Can, Kroos, Schweinsteiger (c), Ozil, Draxler, Muller

France head coach Didier Deschamps has no pressing injury concerns, but will welcome back in-demand Leicester City midfielder NGolo Kante tonight after a one-match ban.

He is also presented with something of a conundrum at centre-back, with Adil Rami also returning from suspension. The Sevilla defender will no doubt be expecting to resume his partnership with Laurent Koscielny, but it could be that Les Bleus keep faith in new Barcelona signing Samuel Umtiti despite his uncertain international debut in the 5-2 thrashing of Iceland.

A quick note on team news before the official lineups break in the next few minutes. Germany will definitely be without Mario Gomez after the experienced Fiorentina striker, who earned a recall to the international scene last year after a fruitful loan spell with Turkish champions Besiktas, suffered a pulled right hamstring during the quarter-final victory over Italy last weekend. He has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament, but is remaining with the squad in a support role.

Sami Khedira was substituted after just 16 minutes of that match with an adductor problem and is also unavailable tonight. However, Joachim Low has stated that Bastian Schweinsteiger will start in his place despite spraining knee ligaments. Benedikt Howedes is also available after returning to training on Wednesday, but influential centre-back Mats Hummels is out after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament in Bordeaux.

Good evening and a very warm welcome to IBTimes UKs penultimate live coverage of Uefa Euro 2016. After Cristiano Ronaldo inspired dour Portugal to end the Welsh fairytale and book their place in Sundays final yesterday, tonight focus shifts to Marseille where hosts France look to join them in a heavyweight clash with reigning world champions Germany at the Stade Velodrome.

Stay with us for all the build-up to this hotly-anticipated clash, including breaking team news and confirmed line-ups. We will also have live updates after kick-off at 20.00 BST.

This should hopefully be an absolute cracker.