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Home-wreckers
Underdog Paraguay hopes to take out host French
Posted: Saturday June 27, 1998 08:15 PM
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Chilavert, who only allowed one goal in the first round, will have to be tougher against France on Sunday (AP) |
LENS, France (AP) --
Both teams have rediscovered their scoring touch at the World Cup, yet
France is the overwhelming favorite going into Sunday's second-round game
against Paraguay, the
surprise team of the World Cup so far.
France won all three of its first-round games with a 9-1 scoring record
and is brimming with confidence as it seeks to become the first host nation
to win the cup since Argentina in
1978.
Star playmaker Zinedine Zidane is sitting out the second game of his
red-card suspension, but other regular starters will be rested and ready
after coach Aime Jacquet fielded a slew of substitutes in last Wednesday's
2-1 win over Denmark.
"I know there are tougher matches than this, but when it comes to
concentration, it is tough to prepare for this," said Jacquet.
Paraguay boldly warned it should not be underestimated.
"We have great players and we are capable of going all the way," said
coach Paulo Cesar Carpeggiani ahead of the France game.
Paraguay surprised everyone by surviving the Group of Death, finishing
second in Group D behind Nigeria. The
South Americans relegated Bulgaria and
Spain to the
misery of early elimination with a stunning 3-1 win over Nigeria on
Wednesday.
While the majority of Paraguay's players are unknown to the French, the
aura of goalkeeper-captain Jose Luis Chilavert continues to grow.
Chilavert is the lock on a tough defense, which conceded only one goal
in the first round against three of the toughest teams in soccer.
"We've got the best defense in the world," said Chilavert, the driving
force behind Paraguay's team and famed for coming out of the net to take
free kicks for his side.
But France would beg to differ.
France foward Thierry Henry has scored three goals and enchanted the home crowds (AP) | |
Its first-choice defense has yet to be seriously tested and even the
second-string defenders allowed only a single goal against the Danes.
The ability to smother penetrations has proved a great basis on which
to build a team.
"The team is oozing confidence and my philosophy is to impose play
instead of being subdued by it," said Jacquet.
Les Bleus have taken their sparkling play to the opposition from the
opening game, and with young forwards like Thierry Henry, who scored three
goals, and David Trezeguet, they've enchanted the home crowds.
The team is sure to get a great reception in Lens, a small city in
France's industrial belt and home to some of the most rabid soccer fans in
Europe.
However, soccer romantics will pull for Paraguay in this David vs.
Goliath matchup.
Qualification itself set off huge celebrations in one of the poorest
South American nations, and any additional advancement in the World Cup
would be considered a miracle.
After being held scoreless in the first two games, Paraguay exploded
with three goals in its decisive match against Nigeria. It scored the
quickest goal of the Cup within the first minute and, with wide-open play,
added two more.
"Finally, the goals came,", said midfielder Miguel Angel Benitez.
They will need to come again.
The last time the two teams met was at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden
when France prevailed 7-3. France went on to take third place.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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