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A perfectly crafted final
Star-studded Brazil attack faces strong French defense
Posted: Wednesday July 08, 1998 10:42 PM
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Sampaio (left) and Ronaldo have scored 7 of the 13 Brazilian goals in the World Cup (AP) |
PARIS (AP) -- It's the final Michel Platini and the organizers have been
yearning for for six years.
Host France
has made it to the World Cup final for the first time ever and, waiting
there, is defending champion and four-time titlist Brazil.
The Brazilians, the most exciting team in the world, play as if they have
a divine right to a fifth title while the French want to win it for the
first time in front of their own fans.
One is sure to get their way.
On Sunday, before 80,000 spectactors at the gleaming Stade de France,
Ronaldo, Bebeto, Rivaldo, Denilson and Roberto Carlos will attack probably
the strongest defense in the entire 32-team championship.
Except that the French back four will be a little weaker because Laurent
Blanc is missing.
The stylish and dependable Olympique Marseille defender is out of Sunday's
final because he was expelled from Wednesday's 2-1 semifinal win over Croatia for
pushing Slaven Bilic in the face.
It's a big loss for the French because the Blanc-Marcel Desailly
partnership has protected goalkeeper Fabien Barthez so well he has conceded
only two goals in six games on the way to the final.
Chelsea's Frank Leboeuf likely will replace Blanc in the French defense
and face up to the formidable Brazilians who still haven't really caught
fire in the championship.
Although Ronaldo, Bebeto, Rivaldo and Cesar Sampaio have scored 13 goals
among them, they have not been as bewildering as everyone expected them to
be.
Roberto Carlos has struggled to find the target with his trademark
long-range free kicks and Denilson, the substitute who tries to dance
around defenders with his fancy footwork, has left his teammates frustrated
by holding onto the ball too long.
Zidane holds the key to unlocking the Brazilians by open up spaces for his teammates to score (AP) | |
Perhaps this is the time for the Brazilians to show why they are the
world's best.
Mario Zagallo's men are odds on to win a fifth title. But there have even
been rumblings from within Brazilian soccer that they're not playing the
traditional way.
The critics say Brazil is sacrificing its flamboyant fan-pleasing style of
slick interpassing, long-range swerving shots and mesmerizing dribbles for
a more practical European style of closing down the opposition and relying
on breaks from deep positions.
If the Brazilians decide to attack the strong French defense, the match
could be a thrilling duel of different styles. If they don't, it could
become a something closer to the dour 0-0 final between Brazil and Italy four years
ago which the Brazilians won after a penalty shootout.
While the French are losing one of their key players, the Brazilians
welcome back one of theirs.
Cafu will return to the right side of the Brazilian defense in place of
the inexperienced Ze Carlos to add speed and guile to the attack and
stability to a back four which has looked shaky at times.
Dunga and Cesar Sampaio look solid in midfield and will allow the creative
players to wreak havoc in the French penalty area while at the same time
take pressure off Junior Baiano and Aldair in the Brazilian defense.
They will also do battle with the gifted French midfielders -- the hard
working and efficient Didier Deschamps, smooth running and ever-accurate
Emmanuel Petit and one of the best playmakers in world soccer, Zinedine
Zidane.
Zidane holds the key to unlocking the Brazilians. The strongly built
Juventus player will run at the heart of the defense and open up spaces for
his teammates to shoot for goal.
Inter Milan's Youri Djorkaeff, a club colleague of Ronaldo, teams up well
with the midfield three to keep the flow of moves going towards goal but
that's where the French fall flat.
A French striker hasn't scored since the 2-1 victory over Denmark in the
group games two weeks ago. Blanc was the matchwinner against Paraguay with
the World Cup's first extra time "Golden Goal" and right back Lilian Thuram
hit the two semifinal strikes against Croatia.
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