|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Momentary hiccup France is world No. 1, but Brazil still gets respect
DAEGU, South Korea (AP) -- France may have replaced Brazil as the world's best soccer nation, but French coach Roger Lemerre said the poor form of the South American giant will only be a momentary lapse. Brazil and France switched top positions in the FIFA world rankings earlier this month and both teams are favored to reach the final of the Confederations Cup, which opens here on Wednesday with the France-South Korea clash. Brazil plays Olympic champion Cameroon in Ibaraki, Japan, a day later. It hopes to overturn its recent run of lackluster form which has dumped it in the danger zone of South America's World Cup qualifying group. Lemerre said it could only be a momentary hiccup. "There are some difficulties now. But I'm convinced that we will find Brazil at its best again. So much is clear," he told reporters upon his arrival for the Cup. It doesn't mean however that France, the ruling world and European champion, is ready to relinquish its crown any time soon. Its rise to greatness started with the 3-0 thrashing of Brazil at the 1998 World Cup final and last year it added the European championship crown with a 2-1 win over Italy. A string of great results, capped with a 4-0 thrashing of Portugal last month, combined with Brazil's mediocre run, pushed it to the top of the world rankings.
When Lemerre was asked to compare the two, he tried to be as diplomatic as possible. "Both nations have great individual skills. Now, France also has great collective and athletic strength. But when it comes to soccer culture, Brazil is still superior." Brazil's form, though, is now the big question mark. It is lagging in fourth place behind Argentina, Paraguay and Ecuador in the South American qualifying group and could face the dreadful prospect of not qualifying for the Cup for the first time in history. Its humiliating run includes a 1-0 loss to Ecuador and a 1-1 tie at home with Peru. France first got close to match Brazil in 1958, but lost the World Cup final in Sweden to a team which included the precocious Pele. In France as in much of Europe, Pele's generation set the standard of soccer for decades to come and any temporary slump will not change that perception. Brazil, like France will be missing most of its greatest stars at the Confederations Cup. Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos are finishing off Spain's Primera Division program while Zinedine Zidane is still involved in the closing stages of Italy's Serie A. So the domination of the Confederations Cup and the world standings could well come down to the strength of each nation's second string players.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
