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Lemerre praises 'historic' side
YOKOHAMA, Japan (Reuters) -- France coach Roger Lemerre praised his side for completing a "historic treble of major titles" following their 1-0 victory over co-hosts Japan in the final of the Confederations Cup on Sunday. The world and European champions never really extended themselves in a one-sided match decided by Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira's 29th-minute header at Yokohama's International Stadium. "We were frustrated not to score more goals tonight, but the important thing is to get the right result. We have proved we are a naturally attacking team in this tournament," said Lemerre. The French manager said he was delighted that some of France's less established players came of age in the 12-day competition, which was staged jointly by Japan and South Korea as a rehearsal for next year's World Cup. "Players like Vieira and Robert Pires are the backbone of our new generation, but players like Mikael Silvestre and Eric Carriere show the base of new talent available to us," said Lemerre. Japan coach Philippe Troussier refused to be downcast by the outcome.
With the best"We have proved we can live with the best teams in the world like Brazil, Cameroon and now France. To reach the final will give us a massive lift for the World Cup," he said. The Frenchman, who lost AS Roma midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata 48 hours before the final due to club commitments, said Japan's improved defense was the key to his side's success in the Confederations Cup. "Today was the first goal we conceded since the start of the tournament. I'm proud of how we stayed solid under pressure in such high pressure games," said Troussier. Lemerre agreed Japan had done well to reach the final and restrict France to just one goal after losing 5-0 the last time the two teams met, in Paris on March 25. "They gave us a difficult game and to reach the final shows Japan are moving in the right direction. Maybe we can have another France-Japan final at the World Cup," he said politely to the Japanese media. Vieira said afterwards that the confidence in the France squad had been "sky high" throughout the tournament, despite the absence of big-name players such as Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Emmanuel Petit. "The spirit has been fantastic. We came here to win this tournament and we're extremely proud of the way we have achieved victory," said Vieira. France became only the second country to hold three titles at the same time, emulating Brazil, who won the 1994 World Cup and both the Copa America and Confederations Cup in 1997.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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