The ones that didn’t get there – France

Head coach – Erick Mombaerts

Most caps – Bacary Sagna (28)

Captain - Étienne Capoue

USUALLY a dominant force in world football, but after the senior team failed to perform in Austria and Switzerland, a lot better would have been expected for the under-21 outfit.

France eventually lost out to the Germans in the play-off qualification stage.

They also failed to qualify for the previous tournament back in 2007 in the Netherlands, and despite only losing one group game this time round yet again lost in the play-off.

After finishing best second placed team in the original qualification group, they came up against the Germans over two legs.

Wolfsburg’s German winger Ashkan Dejagah had given the hosts the lead in the first leg, but an equalizer from Younes Kaboul looked to have put France in the driving seat.

The second leg in Metz proved to be a close affair but it looked like France would hold out for a 0-0 stalemate to go through on the away goals rule. But deep into stoppage time Schalke’s Benedikt Howedes met Gonzalo Castro’s header to send the Germans through.

This means the likes of Arsenal’s Armand Traore and Liverpool’s David N’Gog miss out on the competition that has previously seen the likes of French legend Laurent Blanc and other present day superstars such as Andrea Pirlo and Fabio Cannavaro.

Qualification results

France 1 – Romania 1

France 1 - Wales 0

Malta 0 - France 2

France 4 – Bosnia and Herzegovina 0

Romania 0 – France 0

Wales 4 - France 2

France 5 – Malta 0

Boznia and Herzegovina 0 – France 1

Germany 1 – France 1 (play-off)

France 0 – Germany 1 (play-off)