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Semis at stake Upstart Australia faces world champion France
DAEGU, South Korea (AP) -- France and Australia meet Friday with a place in the Confederations Cup semifinal at stake. For the world champion to be in this position this early in the tournament is normal. For Australia, it is quite an achievement. In the opening Group A games Wednesday, France rolled across South Korea 5-0 with effortless ease and a confident flair which belied its experimental lineup. The Aussies upset defending champion Mexico 2-0, and even if they lose to France, they still have a shot at reaching the semis in the final group game against the co-host, South Korea. "We're the underdogs," said Shaun Murphy, who scored the opener against Mexico. "If it goes well and we get a point, then I'd say we're through to the semifinals. If not, we still have South Korea." The winner of Friday's match will automatically advance. One problem at the Confederations Cup is short recovery time in between games, giving France, with its wide pool of talent, an additional edge Friday. Even though France didn't bring such stars as Zinedine Zidane, the injured Thierry Henry or Fabien Barthez, their replacements were more than impressive on Wednesday. Count on coach Roger Lemerre making even more changes on Friday. Chelsea's Frank Leboeuf is expected to get a start in defense and goalkeeper Ulrich Rame, impressive as he was on Wednesday, is to be moved to the substitute's bench. With three matches in five days, Lemerre plans to do a lot more rotating. In addition, a victory is the best antidote for fatigue. "When we win like that, we recover much faster," said French midfielder Patrick Vieira, who scored his first goal for France with a spectacular volley Wednesday. For some reason, springing surprises at the Confederations Cup seems to come easy for the Australians, ranked only 68th in the world. Four years ago, the Socceroos even reached the final before a 10-man lineup -- minus Mark Viduka after he was red carded in the first half -- lost to Brazil 6-0. Brazil was ranked No. 1 in the world then, as France is now. "There is no need to fear them," said team captain Paul Okon. "There is nothing to lose and everything to gain." France should also realize that it will have far less room to play with against the Aussies as against the hosts. Far too often, the Koreans gave the French four meters of space to display, and use, their technical skills. The Australians, steeped in the British tradition of the game, are unlikely to do the same. "Physically, we showed we can handle it," Okon said. The winner of Group A plays its semifinal in Suwon next Wednesday, while the runner-up moves to Yokohama in Japan. In 1994, the last time the two teams met, France prevailed 1-0.
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