Going forward

France heads into semifinals in good shape

CLAIREFONTAINE, France (AP) -- With a mixture of grit and skill, youth and experience, and a good dosis of luck, France avoided several pitfalls to reach the Confederations Cup semifinal.

Fatigue, the absence of stars such as Zinedine Zidane, and the necessity to work in new players were all risk factors safely negotiated under the guidance of coach Jacques Santini.

France's progress to Thursday's semifinal was far easy.

Thierry Henry's penalty last Wednesday saw off tough Colombia 1-0 but the decision to give the French the penalty was harshly criticized. Another controversial penalty from Robert Pires helped Les Bleus to a stuttering 2-1 win over Japan two days later, in a match when France was saved by the woodwork.

Sunday's 5-0 romp over outclassed New Zealand was a breath of fresh air, as France finally clicked into gear.

Even though France suffered against Colombia and Japan, the fact they did not cave in was credited to the team's sense of solidarity -- a far cry from the last World Cup, when dressing room divisions contributed to the team's first-round exit.

"The atmosphere is excellent within the group," Sochaux midfielder Benoit Pedretti said. "This explains why, in difficult moments, we are able to regroup and keep the team together."

Pedretti, 22, has won only seven caps for France but has performed well. It's not hard to see why critics rate him as the best defensive midfield prospect since former captain Didier Deschamps.

Newcomers, such as Auxerre defender Jean-Alain Boumsong and Atalanta midfielder Ousmane Dabo had shaky moments, but showed glimpses of a bright future.

Santini will have seen enough of defender Philippe Mexes to feel assured that, once 34-year-old Marcel Desailly steps down, France's defense will be in good hands.

Mexes has been a pillar at the back for France during the competition, and is a summer transfer target for Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger.

In midfield, three other players showed there is plenty of strength in depth in France's squad -- despite the absence of Zidane, Patrick Vieira and Claude Makelele.

Roma's Olivier Dacourt had a fine game against Colombia. Auxerre's Olivier Kapo struggled in the same match, but bounced back impressively to score a wonderful goal against New Zealand.

But the surprise package was Monaco's Ludovic Giuly. Kept out of the first two games by Santini, Giuly was the last player to be used by the coach.

Giuly responded with a spectacular goal against New Zealand, two assists and a man-of-the-match performance as he ran defenders ragged.

In the goalkeeping department, Santini started a different custodian for each match. Fabien Barthez was perhaps the least impressive of the three -- reacting late to a fizzing free-kick against Japan.

Meanwhile, Gregory Coupet was solid against Colombia, and Mickael Landreau made two good saves as the Kiwis hunted for a consolation goal.

In attack, the partnership between Djibril Cisse and Henry looked good -- although the absent David Trezeguet need not worry yet his place is at stake.

In Thursday's semifinal at Stade de France, Santini's men are likely to face either Brazil or Turkey, and perhaps Cameroon.

 

Related information

Stories

Confederations Cup 2003 Index

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video