oubled to the left-field corner to give the Pirates just their second lead in a week.It didnt last.TRAINING ROOMCardinals: RF Stephen Piscotty wa

MARSEILLE, France -- France is heading back to soccers elite, and Antoine Griezmann is the man leading the way.Griezmann scored both goals to give France a 2-0 win over world champion Germany on Thursday and a place in the European Championship final against Portugal.It was a victory built as much on German errors as it was on Griezmanns skill, with a handball in the box and a poor defensive pass paving the way for his goals.But that didnt matter to the fans who made Marseilles Stade Velodrome ring with the sound of the Marseillaise, Frances national anthem. Their team won this tournament in 2000, two years after lifting the World Cup, but it hasnt had a trophy since then.Developed as a player in Spain, Griezmann has been the star of the show for France, leading a high-scoring team with six goals, twice as many as any other player in the tournament.I think theres a lot of happiness around France tonight, said coach Didier Deschamps, whose team faces Cristiano Ronaldos Portugal on Sunday at the Stade de France.This team has everything it needs to be loved, Im very proud... Its fabulous to be in the final.Griezmann, who could have completed a hat trick in the 86th minute but shot straight at goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, was already looking ahead.Were very happy, he said. We have to keep our feet on the ground. We still have a match to go.For Germany, defeat cost it the chance to add the European title to the World Cup it won in 2014.It had gone 50 years unbeaten against host nations at major tournaments, dating back to its loss to England in the 1966 World Cup final and encompassing a famous 7-1 humbling of Brazil in the 2014 World Cup semifinals.While a repeat of the Brazil rout was never on the cards, Germany could have scored more than once as it dominated the first half. But it was denied by poor shooting from Thomas Mueller, who ended his tournament scoreless, and a save by Hugo Lloris to block Emre Cans bouncing shot.France took the lead from the penalty spot in first half stoppage time after Bastian Schweinsteiger handled the ball in an aerial challenge with Patrice Evra.Griezmann stepped up to score, striking the penalty hard to Neuers right.I really wanted to take a penalty in a big match like that. I was very composed, I didnt think twice, Griezmann said.It was the second time in as many games that Germany had given away a spot-kick for handball. Jerome Boateng blocked the ball with an arm above his head in the quarterfinal against Italy.Its just bad luck, just an unlucky action, Germany coach Joachim Loew said of the penalty. In a challenge, when youre jumping, there are movements that you cant really control.Trailing in a match for the first time in the tournament, Germany could not recover its previous dominance after halftime. It then had to cope with losing key defender Boateng, who picked up an ankle injury after an hour.The German defense had not conceded from open play all tournament, but it fell apart for Griezmanns second goal in the 72nd minute. A sluggish pass by Benedikt Hoewedes to right back Joshua Kimmich was cut out by Paul Pogba and Neuer could only palm away the midfielders cross to Griezmann, who finished with ease.Germany responded well and could have pulled one back when Kimmich hit the post, before Julian Draxler sent a free-kick narrowly wide and Hoewedes headed over.We had chances to come back, Neuer said. We played a good European Championship and its very bitter to go out.Loew insisted his team had played better than France but had been denied by bad luck, including the injuries and suspensions that hit four key players -- Boateng, as well as defender Mats Hummels, midfielder Sami Khedira and forward Mario Gomez, with the latter three missing the game.Loew, who is under contract until the 2018 World Cup, said he was not sure of his future.France, while not always reassuring in defense, came through victorious in its first game of the tournament against genuinely top-class opposition.After the final whistle, Frances jubilant players celebrated with the fans by performing the Huh chant made famous at the tournament by Iceland.Across France and in the French team, the attention was firmly on the diminutive Griezmann after another decisive performance. Hes our little man that gives us that bit extra, teammate Olivier Giroud said. Nate Archibald Jersey . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Mike Woodson Jersey . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. https://www.cheapkingsbasketball.com/112b-adrian-smith-jersey-kings.html . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. Justin James Jersey . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. Buddy Hield Jersey . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. PITTSBURGH -- A strike away from ending his teams longest losing streak in two years, Pittsburgh Pirates closer Tony Watson tried to get St. Louis pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter to chase a fastball up and away.Instead, Watsons fastball went right down the middle. Whatever chance the Pirates might have of reviving their playoff hopes may have gone along with it.Carpenter drilled a solo shot to tie the game with two outs in the ninth and Randal Grichuk and Jhonny Peralta followed with homers of their own as the Cardinals rallied for a 9-7 win.The Pirates have dropped eight straight and fell 5 1/2 games behind St. Louis in the race for the second wild card in the National League.To serve up four late, its hard to swallow, Watson said after blowing his third save since inheriting the closers role when Mark Melancon was sent to Washington at the trade deadline.Pittsburgh had scrambled back from an early 5-0 hole to move in front with a four-run fifth inning that included Jordy Mercers two-run double to left. The bullpen kept the Cardinals in check and Watson quickly retired the first two hitters in the ninth and had Carpenter -- who came in 2 for 17 against Watson -- down 0-2 before everything changed.Matt Carpenter is a really good hitter, faced him a number of times, Watson said. Thought I could get it. Couldnt locate the pitch ... middle up is a pretty high zone for every major league hitter.Things quickly unraveled from there. Yadier Molina doubled, Grichuk sent a long drive to the seats in left to put St. Louis in front and Peralta completed Watsons implosion by depositing a 2-0 offering into the right-field seats.Behind in the count 2-0, youre not getting ahead of hitters, Watson said. When hitters see that, balls start flying out of the park, in the gaps.Carpenters homer was the 15th by a St. Louis pinch-hitter this season, a major league record. Molina finished 4 for 5, including a first-inning grand slam. Mike Mayers (1-1) tossed a scoreless eighth for the win, and Seung-Hwan Oh worked around a solo homer to Jung Ho Kang in the ninth for his 16th save.Kang had two homers for Pittsburgh in his second game back from a stay on the disabled list but Watsons stumble extended the teams longest fuunk since a 10-game losing streak in 2011.dddddddddddd An All-Star as a setup man in 2014, Watson has given up a career-high nine homers this season. The three he surrendered in the ninth matched his season total in 2015.Its all about location, No. 1, manager Clint Hurdle said. He was much more efficient location wise last year than he is right now. Weve got some guys that are not quite having the seasons theyve had in the past. Its part of the maturation process of being in the game.St. Louis raced to a quick 5-0 lead behind Molinas first grand slam since 2012 and Matt Adams 436-foot homer in the second that reached the Allegheny River on the bounce. Pittsburgh, however, scrapped back.John Jaso atoned for an earlier defensive miscue with an RBI single in the second and Kang homered in the fourth to make it 5-2. Matt Bowman entered for rookie Luke Weaver, pulled after four innings and 83 pitches, and quickly frittered the lead away. His wild throw to second on an attempted double play gave Pittsburgh life. Gregory Polanco followed with an RBI single, Andrew McCutchen scored when Brandon Moss couldnt handle Matt Joyces line drive and Mercer doubled to the left-field corner to give the Pirates just their second lead in a week.It didnt last.TRAINING ROOMCardinals: RF Stephen Piscotty was initially held out of the lineup to give his aching left wrist a breather. Piscotty took a pitch off the wrist on Monday. Postgame X-rays were negative and Piscotty doubled as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.Pirates: Pittsburgh held C Francisco Cervelli out of the lineup a day after he experienced discomfort in his left hand trying to block a pitch.UP NEXTCardinals: Mike Leake returns to the rotation after a stay on the disabled list while battling a case of the shingles. Leake is 9-5 with a 3.28 ERA in his career against Pittsburgh but is 1-2 with a 5.71 ERA this season.Pirates: Rookie Jameson Taillon will face the Cardinals for the first time in the series finale. The 24-year-old has a 2.80 ERA over his last 10 starts and pitched six innings of one-run ball last week against Milwaukee. ' ' '