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'A flurry of goals' France rebounds to thrash Mexico, makes semifinals
Updated: Sunday June 03, 2001 10:32 AM
ULSAN, South Korea (AP) -- A couple of goals from rookie Eric Carriere and a great performance from Robert Pires led world champion France past Mexico 4-0 Sunday and into the semifinals of the Confederations Cup as Group A winner. Sylvain Wiltord got the vital opener and Pires scored on a great individual effort which saw him play defender, midfielder and striker all within one fluent team move. "When France went in attack, the players showed their great class," said French coach Roger Lemerre. Coming off a stunning 1-0 loss against Australia, "the players reassured themselves with a flurry of goals," said Lemerre. In the eighth minute, Pires spotted Willy Sagnol making a surge on the right and fed the ball perfectly to the Bayern rightback. Sagnol floated the ball far into the penalty area where the unmarked Wiltord unleashed a scorching left-foot volley which went whizzing by Oswaldo Sanchez high into the net. Carriere, the Nantes playmaker who got his first cap in a 5-0 win over Korea on Wednesday, got his maiden goal for France in the 62nd minute, when he latched on to a through ball from Arsenal's Pires and sweetly lifted it over the onrushing Sanchez. The third goal was most impressive with an across-the-pitch effort from Pires. The Arsenal player helped recover a ball deep in his own defense, ran the ball upfield, swept past defender Claudio Suarez and lobbed it over Sanchez. "It was an important goal, because with 3-0, we were safe afterwards," said Pires. "We never like to lose and we had to show our pride." Carriere got the first double of his pro career following a goalmouth scramble in the 83rd minute, when he was allowed to run the ball almost into the net. In the other Group A game, South Korea beat Australia 1-0, but the Australians still went through into the semifinals on goal average. Mexico, 0-3 in the tournament, came into the game with no hope left to advance in the competition and was already looking forward to its next World Cup qualifying game against Costa Rica in two weeks time. "We have to overcome this string of defeats, otherwise our World Cup campaign is in danger," bsaid Suarez. France fielded its B-team against Australia but on Sunday Lemerre put his best side back on the pitch, with only Mickael Landreau replacing goalie Ulrich Rame and Wiltord replacing the injured Christophe Dugarry. On top of that, they played on four days rest compared to just two for Mexico. It showed immediately. Sanchez pulled off a truly world class save in the sixth minute, when he was lightning quick to dive down to his right and punch a low header from Mikael Sylvestre wide. But there was little he could do on the other goals. France looked on its way to turn the game into another exhibition of one-touch soccer and intelligent moves off the ball, but halfway through the half, the players suddenly decided to lay off. "We got into a brief slump because of the hot, muggy conditions," said defender Bixente Lizarazu. In first-half injury time, Marco Antonio Ruiz passed into the penalty area where the loose ball came to the unmarked Antonio De Nigris. With the goal beckoning the striker meekly headed the ball into the hands of Landreau however. "We really suffered at that stage," said Lemerre. "Later they did brilliant things to get out of it." Early in the second half the Sagnol-Wiltord combination almost worked again but after a similar cross, the Arsenal forward this time put his shot just wide. French pressure again increased after that, and it increasingly became evident most Mexicans had played a game just 48 hours earlier. The goals soon followed. Lineups: France : Mickael Landreau; Willy Sagnol, Marcel Desailly, Mikael Silvestre, Bixente Lizarazu; Partrick Vieira, Robert Pires (85, Olivier Dacourt), Eric Carriere, Sylvain Wiltord (77, Youri Djorkaeff); Nicolas Anelka, Steve Marlet (64, Laurent Robert). Mexico: Oswaldo Sanchez; Pavel Pardo, Claudio Suarez, Duilio Davino; Octavio Valdez, David Rangel, Marco Antonio Ruiz (62, Joaquim Reyes), Cesareo Victorino (75, Juan Pablo Rodriguez), Jose Manuel Abundis; Antonio de Nigris (46, Jared Borgetti), Victor Ruiz. Referee: Ali Mohamed Bujsaim.
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