 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
| 13th June - 19.45 - Group B Match | ||||
 |
 |
v |  |
 |
| 2 - 1 | ||||
| France Team | England Team | |||
Fabien Barthez |
David James Gary Neville Sol Campbell Ledley King Ashley Cole Frank Lampard Steven Gerrard David Beckham Paul Scholes Michael Owen Wayne Rooney |
|||
| France Subs | England Subs | |||
| Mickael Landreau Jean-Alain Boumsong Olivier Dacourt Marcel Desailly Sydney Govou Steve Marlet Benoit Pedretti Jerome Rothen Willy Sagnol Louis Saha Sylvain Wiltord |
Paul Robinson Wayne Bridge Nicky Butt Jamie Carragher Joe Cole Kieron Dyer Owen Hargreaves Emile Heskey Phil Neville John Terry Darius Vassell |
|||
| Match Report |
| France stunned England in a thrilling Group B contest which will go down as one of the most incredible finishes to a football match in history.
The game began with France looking the stronger of the two sides. They had more possession and pressured England more in their own territory. It was them who fashioned the first chance - David Trezeguet glanced a header just over the bar from about fifteen yards out. England though were never out of the game. Wayne Rooney in particular looked bright, and ran at Frecnh defenders with great success all evening. It was captain David Beckham who was felled by Lizarazou on the right hand side of the French box. His free kick was powerfully headed home by Chelsea midfield dynamo Frank Lampard. The goal came slightly against the run of play, but gave England confidence, and they went on to finish the half strongly. The second half was expected to be all about French pressure, and it turned out to be just that. Viera overshadowed Steven Gerrard with a driving performance, but Frank Lampard was always at hand to help out his teammate. Thierry Henry was quieter than usual, but showed signs of coming into the game more. Zidane looked sharp and dangerous as ever. Despite this, Wayne Rooney looked the best player on the park. It was his run midway into the second half that sliced the French defence in half. With the option of squaring the ball to Darius Vassel - brought on for the ineffective Owen - or running at Silvestre, he took the brave option and won a penalty when the Man United defender clumsily brought him down. He looked like the last man, but the referee only brandished a yellow card. Captain Beckham had the chance to put the game beyond France's reach, but his penalty was saved brilliantly by Barthez. Barthez was called into action a few minutes later when Vassel's left foot shot bounced up and hit the keeper in the face. The ball was then cleared. The brilliant Rooney was replaced by Heskey, and it was he who fouled Viera 25 yards out from goal in the 90th minute. Zinedine Zidane - the best player in the world - smashed an unstoppable shot into the net past a bewildered David James. England were devastated, but nobody could have forseen what would happen next. Steven Gerrard's mystifying backpass from twenty-five yards straight into Thierry Henry, who rounded a commited James and was brought down. James, like Silvestre, was the last man but survived to face the penalty from Zidane. The Algerian-born midfielder confidently lashed the spot-kick to the right of James to cap an amazing win. Heartbreak for England but an extatic French team saw themselves top the group after one game. Another win will see them through to the quarter finals. For England, now bottom by one point, the task will be much harder. |
