With a world-class gauntlet laid out in front of them, could South Africa make an expectant nation proud?
Nicolas Anelka and Thierry Henry are the only players from the France squad that have yet to agree to relinquish their World Cup bonuses.
Nicolas Anelka said former France coach Raymond Domenech made him feel disgusted by forcing him to play out of position during the World Cup.
Thierry Henry met Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysée palace on Thursday as the president demanded answers over the French team’s humiliating exit.
Raymond Domenech must decide whether or not to shuffle his pack for France’s Soccer World Cup clash with Mexico on Thursday.
France coach Raymond Domenech opted on Monday not to call-up a replacement for Lassana Diarra to his squad for the Soccer World Cup.
With France far from certain to qualify for next year’s World Cup, attention focuses on the poker-faced French coach’s strategies.
Germany beat Azerbaijan 2-0 to move ahead in its World Cup qualifying group on Wednesday, while France laboured to a 1-0 win over the Faroe Islands.
They are the men who will reap the plaudits and milk the applause — the goal poachers who can grab glory for their nation in an instant. And they will deserve the adulation if they can rise above the increasingly defensive fare of the modern international game and the fear of losing, which hung heavy over the finals of both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.
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/ 18 October 2007
France put themselves firmly on course for next year’s European Championship finals with a 2-0 victory over Lithuania on Wednesday, just five weeks after a shock home defeat had almost derailed their campaign. Thierry Henry netted his 42nd and 43rd goals late in the match to pass Michel Platini’s French scoring record.
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/ 13 September 2007
James McFadden’s long-range goal earned Scotland a landmark 1-0 victory over France on Wednesday night to put them firmly on course for the Euro 2008 finals on a winning night for Britain. McFadden turned and shot with less than half an hour to go at the Parc des Princes to propel Scotland to the top of Group B and within sight of their first major finals in a decade.
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/ 9 September 2007
Italy drew 0-0 with France in their World Cup final repeat, Germany and England notched easy wins and 10-man Spain were frustrated by a 1-1 draw in Iceland in Saturday’s Euro 2008 qualifiers. The battle to reach the finals in Austria and Switzerland also saw The Netherlands beat Bulgaria 2-0, while the day’s other upset left Turkey with only a 2-2 draw in Malta.