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France frenzied
Host nation designs captivating title match
Posted: Wednesday July 08, 1998 08:31 PM
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The stage is set for Zidane (left) and the French to win at home, but they still have to defeat defending champion and perennial soccer superpower Brazil (AP) |
ATLANTA (CNN/SI) -- Destiny never looked so good. The French
pranced into their own tournament favored to make the quarterfinals or
semifinals at best, but somehow they managed to stick around until the last
dance, sending home the World Cup's true Cinderella -- Croatia -- with
an improbable 2-1 win. The actual victory was not improbable, as
many predicted the clock would strike midnight on the Croatians in the
semifinals against France. What was
amazing was the fashion in which France won. A man who had never
scored before for his country created two impressive goals, the team was
forced to play without its captain for the last 20 minutes of the game
after he picked up a red card on a phantom foul, and the midfield proved
once again that it is the best in the world. Throw in that this was
all accomplished in front of a rabid crowd of French fans at the Stade de
France, and you have more than enough ingredients for the feel-good movie
of the year. But the movie is not over. FIFA could not have
scripted it any better with the host nation meeting the defending champs
for the first time ever in a final match. The French go from favorites to
underdogs, and they have nothing to lose, having never been to the final
before. It took four trips to the semifinals to get into a final,
and the unlikeliest of heroes pushed France into it. Lilian Thuram, who had
played on defense and in the midfield for France but had never scored in a
match, came up huge for his country in the second half. First, he
answered Croatia's quick score in the second half with an immediate run up
the middle. French striker Youri Djorkaeff saw Thuram coming and laid the
ball to him between two defenders. Thuram never hesitated, blasting a shot
from just inside the penalty area past Croatia's goalkeeper to draw France
even. Then in the 70th minute, Thuram made another run, this time up
the right side. He collected the ball outside the penalty area, lost it and
then stole it right back from the Croatian defender.
Timing is the only thing: Thuram (left) scored his first goals Wednesday in 38 games with France (AP) | |
Without even
trapping the ball, Thuram ripped a 23-yard curling blast with his left foot
that wrapped around the Croatian defenders and into the left corner of the
goal. No one could have stopped it, and certainly no one expected it.
But no one expected that four minutes later France's captain Laurent
Blanc would get sent off for barely pushing Croatia's Slaven Bilic in the
face. It forced France into the underdog role because it had to finish with
10 men. Unfortunately, because it did not appear to be a red card foul,
Blanc will miss the final against Brazil.
The French were able to hold off Croatia the rest of the way, in part
because their defense was once again up to the task, but mostly because the
French midfield continued to dominate play and control the ball, keeping it
away from Croatia. The strength that France wields in the midfield
is the only real weapon it will be able to use against Brazil. But when you
throw in the backing of the crowd and the emotion of the day, maybe the
French do have a chance. That's a concern for another day, though.
On Wednesday, the French team made its country's dream turn into a
reality. Player of the Day: Lilian Thuram. In 38 previous
appearances with the French team, Thuram had never scored. Not that he had
been asked to from his defender position. But with his team mired in
a horrendous offensive funk, Thuram stepped up into the spotlight, scoring
both goals and propelling France into the finals against Brazil.
Goal of the Day: Thuram. The winning goal for France was a thing
of beauty. It was amazing enough that Thuram was able to steal the
ball and then shoot immediately, but the sheer power and touch of the shot
was most impressive. A gorgeous goal that was only fitting in
sending France to its first final in four tries.
Quote of the
Day: "It is truly the most beautiful day in the history of French
sport." -- French President Jacques Chirac after his country's 2-1 win over
Croatia
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