France Pierces the Irish Defense to Advance

It's good to be the host.

Don't have to qualify for the big event. Home fans are in abundance at every venue.

But none of that matters if the host lets their garde down.

That damn near happened to France, who took forever to break the Republic of Ireland's defense before making the final eight with a 2-1 triomphe, much to the nation's relief.

If Les Bleus were expecting an easy win over the Republic, they were sorely mistaken.

Ireland’s fortune shined brightly and quickly, as they were given a penalty almost before anyone had broken a sweat.

Robbie Brady proceeded to nail it from the spot:

After that, the French were basically looking through an eleven-man barrier.

This tactic worked for a half, but then Antoinne Griezmann sliced through the resistance with impeccable timing:

That's one way to head your country in the right direction.

Griezmann wasn't done yet, either. If he'd cracked the Irish code once, he could do it again.

Dude brought down the house a mere four minutes later:

France -- and Atlético Madrid, for that matter -- have again found a class striker when they needed one most.