France beats Togo to reach top 16
(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-24 09:24 France finally won its game of brinkmanship and a
World Cup game for the first time since capturing the title eight years ago.
Teetering on the edge of another embarrassing first-round elimination from
the World Cup, the 1998 champion beat Togo 2-0 on Friday to advance to the final
16 for a game against Spain.
France's Henry jumps
for the ball with Togo's Tchangai during their Group G World Cup 2006
soccer match in Cologne.[Reuters] |
Patrick Vieira, leading the team in place of suspended captain Zinedine
Zidane, scored the first goal on his 30th birthday and set up the second for
Thierry Henry in a six-minute span in the second half to help France advance as
the second-place team in Group G with five points. Switzerland finished first
after beating South Korea 2-0.
"Of course it's stressful when you don't score, and especially when we
couldn't afford to concede a goal," France coach Raymond Domenech said. "But
once we found out the Swiss had scored a second goal, we were much more calm."
Vieira lifted his game after two of his worst performances ever in a French
shirt against Switzerland and the Koreans.
"I was really motivated as we think we have a really good team and we don't
deserve not to go to the next round," he said. "You have to work hard and I am
quite happy for my performance tonight."
Henry said he was thankful to score his second goal in two games.
"When we got into the dressing room at halftime it was a bit worrying,
because you think their goalkeeper is going to have one of those games," the
Arsenal striker said. "He was saving everything and you think he can only get
more and more confident. But we managed to stay calm."
Four years ago, France went out tamely in the first round without scoring a
goal, losing to Senegal and Denmark and tying 0-0 with Uruguay.
It was the same pattern at this World Cup as Domenech's team wasted chances
in a 0-0 draw with Switzerland and then surrendered the lead in a 1-1 tie with
South Korea. The French needed a victory over Togo to reach the second round
and, having wasted chance after chance, finally calmed the nerves of their fans
with a performance which had been long overdue.
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