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France has itself to blame
Two former champions fall out, while Germany marches on
Posted: Tuesday June 11, 2002 11:24 AM
Updated: Tuesday June 11, 2002 12:32 PM
CNNSI.com's World Cup analyst Gabriele Marcotti is covering every kick of the tournament, with a "91st Minute" column filed each matchday. Click here to submit a comment or question to Marcotti's mailbag.
Au revoir. The world champions have bowed out of the tournament without scoring a single goal. Who would have predicted that, given the presence of the top scorers in both Serie A (David Trezeguet) and the Premiership (Thierry Henry)?
Zinedine Zidane returned against Denmark, but even he wasn't enough to stop the French rot against the turbo-powered Danes, who won 2-0.
With Henry and Emanuel Petit suspended, French boss Roger Lemerre did what he always does and stuck blindly to his veterans, implementing the same 4-2-3-1 system we've seen time and again, with Claude Makelele alongside Patrick Vieira, Christophe Dugarry wide on the left and Trezeguet on his own up front.
It flopped miserably. Trezeguet was once again isolated, Dugarry might as well not have been there and, on the right, Sylvain Wiltord was his usual, chaotic self. This only raised Zidane's burden, but Danish boss Morten Olsen had taken the necessary countermeasures, deploying Christian Poulsen in front of the defense, with the ferocious tandem of Stig Inge Tofting and Tomas Gravesen alongside.
Effectively, Zidane was caged by the trio and, while he did occasionally escape and weave his magic, it simply wasn't enough. Trezeguet and captain Marcel Desailly hit the woodwork, and France was thwarted several times by goalkeeper Tomas Sorensen, but Les Bleus never looked like champions.
Dennis Rommedahl in the first half and Jon Dahl Tomasson (albeit after a fairly obvious shirt-pull on Desailly) in the second scored the goals that sunk France. In a way, it's sad that we'll be deprived of Zidane for the rest of the tournament. But then, France only has itself (and Lemerre) to blame.
Former world champion Uruguay meanwhile nearly pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history. At halftime, Senegal was up 3-0 thanks to two goals from Pape Bouba Diop and a penalty converted by Khalilou Fadiga. It looked all over, but Uruguay scrapped and clawed its way back, proving once again that it is one of the most spirited teams in soccer, but ultimately going out with a 3-3 draw.
First, Richard Morales pounced on a short clearance to pull one back. Then Diego Forlan nailed an outrageous volley from outside the box. Finally, Alvaro Recoba equalized three minutes from time on the penalty spot.
Unreal stuff and nonstop excitement, all the more so in the final seconds of the game, when Morales contrived to miss a wide open header that would have seen Uruguay advance and sent Senegal packing.
There may be some recrimination (El Hadji Diouf, who won the penalty for Senegal, appeared to dive and the foul that led to Recoba's penalty was somewhat dubious as well), but ultimately Uruguay paid the price for its many wasted opportunities throughout the competition. Just as it's too bad to see Zidane go, spare a thought for Recoba, arguably the best left foot in the game.
The competition lost another fancied team in Cameroon, a 2-0 loser to Germany in a match that will be remembered for referee Antonio Lopez Nieto's 16 yellow cards (and two reds). Bizarrely, three-time world champion Germany played better with 10 men (after Carsten Ramelow was ejected late in the first half), as coach Rudi Voeller inserted Marco Bode in place of Carsten Jancker, giving the side a more compact 4-4-1 setup.
Cameroon came close many times, but against the run of play Bode opened the scoring. The rest of the match was a constant siege, with the Indomitable Lions hitting the post, but failing to capitalize. Patrick Suffo was also thrown out late in the card-heavy match, and when Miroslav Klose made it 3-0, the game was definitively out of reach.
The other team to go through from Group E was the Republic of Ireland, which beat Saudi Arabia 3-0. It's a testament to the side's incredible cohesion and self-belief that it should advance to the second round despite playing without its captain and perhaps only true world-class player, Roy Keane, who left the squad after an acrimonious bust-up with manager Mick McCarthy. With one Keane unavailable, it was another Keane - Robbie -- who opened the scoring, getting the all-important nerve-settling goal. After that, Ireland never looked back as Damien Duff and Gary Breen added to the scoreline.
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Tomas Gravesen and Stig Inge Tofting (Denmark, shared award).
They look like thugs and sometimes they play like thugs, but they are as effective a defensive midfield partnership as you'll see in this competition. It is their presence that allows coach Morten Olsen to play two strikers, plus two genuine wingers (though against France Olsen added another ballwinner). Their dirty work and simple passing is the engine that propelled Denmark into the second round.
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Christophe Dugarry (France).
Why pick him on him when the entire French squad is guilty of gross underachievement? Because Dugarry epitomizes what is wrong with this team. He's a guy who is clearly past his best and shouldn't even have been going to this World Cup (not when guys like Stephane Dalmat, Olivier Dacourt, William Gallas and Eric Carriere stayed home) and yet, in the name of Roger Lemerre's misguided loyalty, because he's "one of the gang," he started the crucial match against Denmark. Not surprisingly, he was awful, though to be fair any number of French players could have received this award.
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Diego Forlan (Uruguay).
He doesn't score many goals, but his screamer against Senegal was an absolute gem. He uncorked an unstoppable drive from 40 yards out that is an early contender for goal of the tournament.
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Spanish referee Antonio Lopez Nieto dished out no fewer than 16 yellows and two reds in Cameroon vs. Germany. The match did have its flashpoints, and bookings can be an effective way of maintaining discipline. The players did not help with their antics and attitude either. However, in a World Cup already marked by inept linesman, a card-happy referee is the last thing we needed. Sometimes a quiet word is far more effective.
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In Group F, Argentina is teetering on the brink of elimination. Marcelo Bielsa's men basically need a win against Sweden (a draw will suffice, but only if Nigeria beats England -- and even then it will depend on the score).
You have to go back to Chile in 1962 to find the last time Argentina was bounced in the first round of the World Cup. Back then, Argentina won the opener 1-0, lost to England in the second match (sound familiar?) and went out of the tournament after a draw in the third game, one they needed to win.
Nobody in Argentina wants history to repeat, which is why Bielsa is reportedly going to switch things around, replacing Diego Simeone, Juan Sebastian Veron and Diego Placente with Matias Almeyda, Pablo Aimar and Jose Chamot respectively. Furthermore, Claudio Lopez gomes in at left-wing, with Kily Gonzalez slotting back into midfield and Juan Pablo Sorin taking a seat on the bench.
In the other Group F match, England takes on Nigeria, which is already eliminated from the tournament. On paper, the Super Eagles have nothing to play for, but in some ways this is when they are at their best, when they are relaxed and the pressure is off -- which is why this game will be more of threat to England than the British press realizes.
A draw against Spain, which has already qualified, is enough for South Africa in Group B. Jomo Sono's men haven't performed to their best just yet, but could take advantage of the situation if Spain takes its foot off the gas.
As for Paraguay, it will blame the late penalty against South Africa in the opener for its current dire straits. The best it can do is notch a wide victory over winless Slovenia and hope that Spain beats South Africa.
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Pablo Aimar (Argentina).
Popular opinion back home is likely to drive him into the starting lineup against Sweden, in place of none other than Juan Sebastian Veron. The young playmaker started the season slowly at Valencia but then came on well and made a huge contribution to Valencia's championship winning run in La Liga. He looked sharp when he replaced Veron at halftime against England, but now the pressure is on. It will be up to him to unlock the Swedish defense.
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What do you think of Spain's performance so far? Would you think they have a good chance of making it far in the tournament and correcting their long history of underachievement?
-- Alex, Canterbury, Kent, UK
Answer: Spain has the tools to go far, but it will be interesting how it does against better competition. Slovenia wasn't much of a challenge and against Paraguay, Jose Luis Chilavert's mistake changed the flow of the game.
I like the way Camacho has structured the midfield, with Javier De Pedro (one of my favorite players in the tournament so far) down the left and Ruben Baraja sitting in front of the back four.
I think there are two keys for Spain from here on out. The first is up front. Diego Tristan is a fantastic player, but he is not 100 percent fit and has looked mediocre so far. Contrast that with Fernando Morientes, who scored two goals after coming on for Tristan against Paraguay. Morientes is a more one-dimensional striker, but his goalscoring record keeps proving his detractors wrong. Making the right choice up front will be crucial for Camacho.
The other big question mark is in central defense, where Fernando Hierro and Miguel Angel Nadal are a combined 69 years old. They are vulnerable to speed and quickness, which is why fullbacks Juanfran and Carlos Puyol are critical. Against Paraguay, both pushed inside and were very effective helping out Hierro and Nadal. They need to continue doing so throughout the competition.
On paper, there is no reason why Spain can't win this World Cup, especially since it is in the somewhat weaker side of the draw (a draw that will be even more favorable if Italy gets knocked out on Thursday).
Note: Monday's list of World Cup finalists should have included Hungary. However, contrary to what some readers pointed out, Spain did reach the final of the World Cup. In 1950, there was no single final, but rather a World Cup final group that included four teams: Brazil, Uruguay, Sweden and Spain. As such, Spain is considered a World Cup finalist.
Click here to read Marcotti's most recent mailbag, and here to submit a comment or question.
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