France vs. Mexico

[4F]

bye bye Henry and co

 

[yello]

should have been years ago...

 

[mangaman]

Nice to see Blanco on - although he's about as mobile as a small elephant these days. Great passing though.

Nice call FM

He was supercool when he took the penalty.

France should never have qualified, of course, and have done nothing while down there to improve that perception.

The coach looked as if he didn't give a shoot as did Evra for the 2 goals.

Hopefully they'll be back home soon. The fact is, if Uruguay and Mexico have a chat and the game is a draw - they're both through.

If not, the French could thrash SA, Uruguay could beat Mexico and France go through.

 

[hackbike 666]

Wouldn't surprise me if France fluke it again.

 

[mangaman]

Wouldn't surprise me if France fluke it again.

I've got a strange feeling Uruguay and Mexico can somehow draw

 

[swee'pea99]

The Guardian commentary is pretty forthright about France:

"Their manager is an idiot and almost to a man, their players are a disgrace to their country."

Mealy-mouthed fence sitters, as per.

ARRIBA ARRIBA!

 

[Yellow Fang]

I was surprised by France. You'd think with 20 mins to go they bury themselves to get a result. They've got some decent players, but they couldn't be arsed. No team spirit.

 

[Debian]

Hopefully they'll be back home soon. The fact is, if Uruguay and Mexico have a chat and the game is a draw - they're both through.

I think you'll find there's no love lost between Uruguay and Mexico. In any event, if the game is a draw the conspiracy theorists will be out in force and the match fixing allegations will start. Better a clean win for the sake of the competition.

 

[rich p]

I think you'll find there's no love lost between Uruguay and Mexico. In any event, if the game is a draw the conspiracy theorists will be out in force and the match fixing allegations will start. Better a clean win for the sake of the competition.

Apparently draws are not that uncommon in soccerball

 

[rsvdaz]

 

[dellzeqq]

what was going on with the French subs? The whole evening was puzzling - whatever the reasons for whatever kind of bust-up took place in the French camp, there's absolutely no reason for players to simply go AWOL.

How many times did Mexico snaffle the ball in midfield? 12, 15, or more? All they did was run around like demons and pinch it off the toes of the French players. Very, very odd.

I think that Mexico and Uruguay will contest the final match - the second place team will face Argentina - but, right now, South Africa must fancy their chances of beating the French team.

 

[Vidor06]

I think the subs are made to warm up behind the goal and I would imagine that they would stay there until they are called to go on. The fact that Domenech never brought on either Henry or Cisse was utterly baffling. France had one substitution left at the end of the game and didnt use it. Clearly there is a huge rift between the playeras and the management. As was said on the BBC, why did France not just give Laurent Blanc the managers job before the tournament?

 

[meenaghman]

on one level I'm f*cking gutted. If the French didn't want to be in ZA why couldn't they decide last November ? They are a disgrace. The players have got the hump with each other/coach. At least we'd have tried and gone down fighting. Lots of sombreros, Ponchos and Mexican jerseys on display last night.

 

[yello]

There have been rumours of disquiet in the French camp for years. From what I can gather, there's a little bit of an old boys network with the likes of Henry and Gallas creating an unwelcoming atmosphere for incomers. It's suggested that Domenech is either powerless in the face of it or, worst still, part of it.

Domenech appears to have 'resolved' the issue by leaving younger players behind. And France has some very talented youngsters. Benzema you probably know, Arsenal fans know all about Nasri, and OM's Hatem Ben Arfa has incredible talent (and a bit of a hot head too! but he's learning!)

But it's the end of an era now for France.... at last. Laurent Blanc takes over and it's by no means a prophesy of magnitude to state that there'll be a clear out and shake down. France's game against SA will be the last time you see the old school. It's years too late, imo. Anyone that remembers France's shocking performance in Euro2008 will know that the cull should have happened then.

 

[dellzeqq]

terrific moment after the penalty. The Mexican players all ran to surround Blanco, jumping up and down. Blanco tried jumping up and down, but, while the spirit was strong, the belly wasn't having it.....