Thierry Henry finally found his magic touch at Euro 2004 by scoring twice in France’s 3-1 win over Switzerland here on Monday to earn the defending champions a quarter-final date with Greece.
Jacques Santini’s side were pushed hard by the Swiss before setting up a date with the surprise package of these championships in Lisbon on Friday by finishing top of Group B with seven points.
Santini made an inspired substitution when he sent Louis Saha into the action for David Trezeguet with the scores tied at 1-1.
Saha’s first touch of the match was a headed knock-on which allowed Henry to score his opening goal on 76 minutes.
”The Swiss gave everything and we had to go looking for the victory in the last quarter of an hour,” Santini said.
”But I want to congratulate my players who have not only given pleasure to the coaching staff, they have taken pleasure from this victory and given the spectators a great deal of pleasure too.
”The important thing until now has been to prepare for the match against the Swiss but we sent observers to watch Greece play because anyone who beats Portugal in the opening match of the tournament must be taken seriously.”
Henry said his contribution was less important than the victory.
”The life of a striker is not always easy but today I was on the end of the passes so all the better.
”The most important thing is that is that we finished first. Now we are qualified and we can see what happens.”
Swiss coach Kobi Kuhn said France, who beat England with two injury-time goals and were held to a draw by Croatia, were improving as the tournament progresses.
”France were the best team in the group,” he said. ”They didn’t play their best in the first two matches but now they have improved and they are more complete.”
Re-installed as captain, Zinedine Zidane gave France a deserved lead in the 20th minute, heading in Robert Pires’ corner from the right for his third goal of the championships.
France then won a clutch of corners but somehow the Swiss defence held firm and six minutes later they equalised through 18-year-old Johan Vonlanthen, who became the youngest ever scorer in a European championships.
Ricardo Cabanas pounced on an error by French defender Mikael Silvestre and threaded the ball through to Vonlanthen whose angled shot nestled in the left hand corner of Fabien Barthez’s net.
Vonlanthen had been introduced to replace the out-of-form Stephane Chapuisat while teammate Alexander Frei, embroiled in a spitting incident, was withdrawn before the match.
The Swiss, who had suddenly found some punch, had an early scoring opportunity when Lilian Thuram was caught up for handball but Hakan Yakin’s freekick was tipped over the crossbar by Barthez at full stretch.
Henry, who has enjoyed an indifferent Euro up to now, was booked for diving after a tackle by Murat Yakin at the start of the second half.
Santini, who left Marcel Desailly on the bench, made one change in the interval, bringing on William Gallas for Willy Sagnol as he attempted to shore up his backline.
In the 76th minute Henry finally got the goal he’s been aching for, the Arsenal attacker tapping in after being fed by a knock-on from Saha’s head just seconds after the Manchester United player had come on for Trezeguet.
Zidane almost added a third when Pires crossed but his header was safely gathered by Jorg Stiel in the Swiss goal.
It was to fall to Henry to put the match beyond doubt as the Premiership’s top scorer last season stormed in from the left to shoot right-footed past Stiel.
It was a memorable night for Henry — and despite Switzerland’s elimination, they have the consolation that Vonlanthen, at 18 years four months and 20 days, takes over as the championships’ youngest ever scorer by three months and four days from England’s Wayne Rooney.
Rooney owned the record for just four days after scoring against Switzerland at Coimbra last Thursday. – Sapa-AFP