Fathoming France's true level at Euro 2016 is difficult task

PARIS (AP) - Fathoming the true ability of tournament host France at the European Championship is difficult because the team is something of a paradox.

The defense has been heavily criticized yet it has conceded only two goals and none from open play. Germany, with four clean sheets, is the only other side yet to concede from open play. While France never scores in the first half, it always steps up after the break and has a winning team's aura with its knack for late goals.

"We do have a team capable of winning the tournament, but it's not going to come just like that by clicking our fingers," said forward Antoine Griezmann, highlighting the danger of complacency. "The way we start games is bad, even very bad."

An 89th-minute winner from Dimitri Payet secured a 2-1 win against Romania and Griezmann's 90th-minute goal helped seal a scrappy 2-0 win against Albania, with Payet adding the second in injury time.

Last weekend, Griezmann's two second-half goals rescued France as it rallied to beat Ireland 2-1, avoiding embarrassing early elimination in the last 16.

"None of our first half (performances) have been good," Griezmann said. "But with regards to (the Ireland game) it's not possible to do worse."

France coach Didier Deschamps will demand a stronger start against Iceland in the quarterfinal on Sunday, but home fans may take comfort in the fact that successful France teams did it the hard way.

When France won the Euro in 1984, Michel Platini's winner at the end of extra time helped beat Portugal 3-2 in the semifinal.

Although France crushed Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 World Cup final, the route to it was laborious.

Les Bleus needed a Golden Goal winner late in extra time to beat Paraguay in the last 16, scraped past Italy on penalty kicks in the quarters and needed two second-half strikes from right back Lilian Thuram - his only goals in 142 international games - to seal a comeback 2-1 win against Croatia in the semis.

At Euro 2000, Zinedine Zidane's penalty with three minutes left in extra time downed Portugal in the semis. Forward Sylvain Wiltord equalized with the last kick of injury time in the final against Italy, setting the platform for David Trezeguet's Golden Goal winner.

Not dominant, yet effective.

At this tournament, Deschamps has appeared unsure, experimenting with players and oscillating between a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 formation.

He has two enforced changes to make against Iceland, with center half Adil Rami and midfielder N'Golo Kante suspended.

Kante's energy will be missed against an extremely hard-working, well-drilled Iceland side, but Deschamps can count on Yohan Cabaye.

Playing in his third major tournament, Cabaye was one of France's best players in the 0-0 draw against Switzerland - with Deschamps resting Kante.

The defensive situation, however, is worrying.

Nervous-looking Rami is a weak link, and his early slip led to Ireland scoring a penalty in the second minute. Thick-set Rami's lack of pace, allied to a tendency to hesitate and also to get caught out of position, heaps the pressure on center half Laurent Koscielny.

Their partnership was largely untried before Euro 2016 and it shows. But with many defenders out through injury, Deschamps has few options for Sunday.

Lyon's Samuel Umtiti has no international experience, while Manchester City's Eliaquim Mangala has seven international caps, and did not play in any pre-tournament friendlies.

Deschamps may also re-focus his attack by moving Griezmann from the right flank into a more central position alongside striker Olivier Giroud.

France looked better against Ireland when they linked up in the second half, with Giroud setting up Griezmann's second goal with a headed layoff and then putting him clean through late on.

"I was closer to the penalty area, where the danger is," said Griezmann, whose plays centrally for Spanish side Atletico Madrid.