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France has been here before
Three failed trips to semifinals most by any team
Posted: Wednesday July 08, 1998 12:15 PM
Special from L'Equipe, the French sports daily PARIS
(L'Equipe) -- France's case is
unique in World Cup history. It is the only team to have played more than
two semifinals without ever reaching the final. Here is a look back at the
past three semis. 1958: Sweden The road to the semis The
French arrived in Sweden first, and many, even in France, expected them to
be the first to leave. They had played six matches since October and won
none of them, scoring only four goals. But France scored seven goals in the
opener, against Paraguay, and
never stopped, scoring the most goals, 15, in four matches, thanks to the
World Cup's best scorer, Juste Fontaine, and the best player, Raymond Kopa.
The opponent The World Cup's best attack played against the best
defense (Brazil hadn't
given up a single goal). A 17-year-old kid, Pelé, was starting his reign on
the world of soccer. Brazilian players had learned discipline. The match
and the key Second minute. Vava scored. Eighth minute Fontaine tied. For
half an hour, they battled, and 38 minutes into the match, Didi scored for
Brazil. Just before the half, Robert Jonquet broke his leg, and the match,
in a shock with Vava. There were no substitutes, so he stayed in. Pelé
scored three times in the second half. The end of the story The
defeat made France bigger. They took third place after their 6-3 rout of Germany. That
was Germany's worst match until the 3-0 defeat to Croatia.
Fontaine's record of 13 goals is still standing. 1982: Sevilla
The road to the semis Michel Platini's generation of players had
discovered in 1978 that the World Cup is a terribly hard competition. Four
years later, it qualified for the World Cup by eliminating the 1978
finalists, the Netherlands
. This team wasn't sure of anything, not even the formation (4-3-3, 4-4-2)
it should use. A 1-3 loss to England made
them doubtful, but Manuel Amoros' header saved them against Czechoslovakia
(1-1) and allowed them to reach the second round. They beat Austria 1-0
without Platini and Northern Ireland 4-1, Alain Giresse and Dominique
Rocheteau scoring two goals each.
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France has appeared in three semifinals, including this one in 1982 against West Germany (AP) |
The opponent West Germany had a
slow start. They lost 2-1 to a surprisingly good Algerian team and
qualified for the next round by settling for a 1-0 victory with their
Austrian neighbors. Then they played a scoreless tie with England and beat
Spain 2-1.
The match and the key Pierre Littbarski scored first for Germany.
Platini tied on a penalty kick. Patrick Battiston got carried off the field
after German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher brutally stopped him just outside
the box, which should have resulted in the goalie's expulsion. Marius
Trésor and Alain Giresse quickly scored in overtime, allowing all of France
to dream, but Germany never dreams, and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge scored just
before the second half, Fisher tying in the second half. France lost on
penalty kicks. The end of the story All of France, its players and
fans, were drained. They lost to Poland 3-2, finishing fourth, but they
didn't care, all they wanted was a chance to get a revenge. 1986: No
revenge The road to the semis The French players kept on
improving after the 1982 World Cup, winning their first title, a European
Championship, in 1984. They qualified easily in an easy group (Yugoslavia,
East Germany). If they were considered as favorites at the beginning of the
World Cup, their 1-0 opening match win against Canada, while the Soviet
Union was crushing Hungary 6-0, changed that. After a close 1-1 tie with
the Soviet Union and an easy 3-0 win over Hungary, they finished second in
the group, meaning a tougher second round. But they didn't leave Italy a chance
(2-0) and this time, they got the better end of the penalty shots ordeal
against Brazil after a 1-1 tie. The opponent The Germans had a hard
time getting to the semis. They qualified for the second round behind Denmark, beat
Morocco 2-1
two minutes before the end of the match, and beat Mexico on
penalty kicks. These were not the Germans of old. The match and the key
Maybe France lost the match before playing it, telling themselves they'd
done the hardest part by beating Italy and Brazil, that their penalty
session win over Brazil was a redemption, and that Germany wouldn't be hard
to beat. They were dreaming again. And again, Germany never dreams. Andreas
Brehme scored nine minutes into the match, resisted until the bitter end,
and even scored in the match's last minute. The end of the story
A
generation of players made their exit, in that World Cup. Another one
arrived, with Jean-Pierre Papin, Philippe Vercruysse and Jean-Marc Ferreri
playing in the victory over Belgium that
gave France a third place finish. But those players never got a chance to
really play in a World Cup. And France will have to wait until the 21st
century to get a chance to avenge two semifinal losses to Germany.
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