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Brazil too talented for the host team
Posted: Saturday July 11, 1998 10:37 PM
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Faith, hope and glory? How about a keeper who can handle World Cup pressure. Both Barthez (left) and Taffarel will be tested Sunday (AP) |
ATLANTA (CNN/SI) - Thirty-two days, 63 matches, and it all comes down
to this: France and Brazil for the
last World Cup title of the century. Let's see, it cost you $800 to fly
to France, you've been spending $230 or so a night for that hotel room, and
then you're plunking down $45 for that Metro pass on a weekly basis. Bottom
line, what do you have to show for it? Obviously, you have a lot of
faith, and, at the beginning of the tournament at least, you had plenty of
hope your country would go far. But Brazil and France fans are the only
ones still with a chance left at glory. When the two teams take the
field tomorrow, no matter how many French fans may be in the stands because
of their belief that they were entitled to nearly all of the tickets in
France '98, the host country will be decided underdogs, and the likelihood
of it winning is not very big. Here's what will have to happen for France
to avoid getting blown out. First off, the French midfield, led by
Didier Deschamps and Zinedine Zidane, needs to control possession of the
ball for long stretches of the game. There is no need to press the ball
forward on offensive because at this point it is obvious just how weak the
French strikers are. Rather, simply keeping the ball away from Brazil's
attack is a key to keeping the match close. Which leads us to the next
area to focus on Sunday -- the weakened French defense. France has defended
beautifully throughout the tournament. It is the only team that still has
not lost a match in the tournament. But that defense will be without
captain Laurent Blanc, who picked up the most controverisal of red cards in
the semifinals against Croatia, when
it faces Ronaldo and Company. That is why it is so important for the French
midfield to dominate, because there is no telling how the defense will gel
without Blanc. Finally, the French will need another unlikely hero. They
got one on Wednesday, when defender Lilian Thuram, who had never scored
before in a match for his country, found the back of the net twice to beat
Croatia. Someone must step into that role on Sunday if France is to win.
If any of those things does not occur, it will be extremely difficult
for the hosts to snatch the crown from Brazil because the fact of the
matter is Brazil looks unbeatable when the match actually matters. This
is a team playing with a 10-man lineup for much of their matches, as Brazil
coach Mario Zagallo conitnues to start Bebeto and pair him up front with
Ronaldo for 60-plus minutes every match. It is apparent Brazil is a better
team when the aging Bebeto is replaced with 20-year-old Denilson, and on
any other team this turmoil would be enough to derail one's title hopes.
But the rest of the Brazilian squad is just too talented to let that
happen, and that's why Sunday night in Paris will have a distinctively
Brazilian flavor to it. If Brazil gets a couple of goals early, this
could turn ugly late when Denilson makes his appearance. The pick here is
Brazil 3-0, as it picks up its fifth World Cup with no end to Brazil's
dominance in sight.
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