|
The game began in conditions not unlike the climate we enjoy here in Essex, with a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and rain beginning to fall as soon as the game started. France were sluggish at first and from a free-kick awarded in the opening minute, Senegal made Manchester United goalkeeper Fabien Barthez claim the ball in the air. Five minutes later El Hadji Diouf stormed past Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly and whipped a ball to the penalty spot which left-footed Khalilou Fadiga scuffed at Barthez.
However, Senegal were quickly played out of the game, uneasy on the ball and with little options upfield, they resorted to long periods of defending and tried to lump the ball to lone frontman Diouf. The forward had difficulty in understanding the offside rule and was caught on numerous occasions as the experienced Desailly and Franck Leboeuf stepped out. As the Senegalese became more and more frustrated, the double trophy holders came into the game and stamped their authority upon it, with former Arsenal team-mates Patrick Viera and Emmanuel Petit running the show in the middle of the park and frequently finding the ever-dangerous Youri Djorkaeff whose delivery into the box a quarter-of-an-hour in found Juventus' David Trezeguet, although the ball became stuck in his feet and his effort was put well wide.
|
It was a shock, then, when a long punt from Barthez caused the first problems for the Senegal defence and 'keeper Tony Sylva had to rush off of his line to snatch the ball away from Trezeguet, clattering into the Frenchman as he did so and allowing the French to make unfounded claims for a penalty kick. Halfway through the first-half Trezeguet again was left in space and Arsenal top-scorer Thierry Henry found him, only to see his compatriot strike the ball again the outside of the right-hand upright with Sylva a mere spectator.
Then, on the half-hour mark, the Senegalese struck the first goal of the World Cup against the run of play. Diouf managed to stay onside and threatened Leboeuf with his pace. He raced past the ageing former Chelsea man and crossed from the bye-line. The ball was deflected by Desailly and cannoned into Petit, who was chasing back. Barthez fumbled as he attempted to gather the ball, pushing it into the path of the floor-ridden Pape Bouba Diop. The midfielder stretched out his left boot and fired into the empty net to send the French into shock and the rest of the world into ecstasy. From then on, it was likely to be backs-to-the-wall.
Senegal's defensive unit stayed sound in the fifteen minutes to half time, with Sylva saving from Arsenal winger Sylvain Wiltord and watching an effort from Trezeguet sail over before Djorkaeff fired wide. The Senegal defence appeared to have the cohesion that their midfield lacked as they continually surrendered possession to the French, who were, in the main, unable to make the Africans pay. As the half-time whistle blew, the two sides walked out of the arena and began to contemplate what might follow.
The second half saw a far more committed attack on the opposition by both sides. Petit and Cisse became the first players into the book in the match with reckless challenges, but any number of fouls could have been more severely punished. Ten minutes in, Djorkaeff mistimed an effort on goal before Thierry Henry, unmarked and eight yards out, headed amazingly into the air and across the face on goal. With the ball bundled out, the ensuing corner from Petit was met by Senegal-born Viera, who did his old countrymen a favour by powering his effort at Sylva, who held on to the ball comfortably.
|
France began to commit numbers upfield, which left area of the park for Diouf and Fadiga to exploit. With 65 minutes on the clock, Fadiga sprinted down the left-hand flank and arrived at the edge of the penalty are, where he struck a determined effort at the French goal. Barthez clutched at thin air and the ball, luckily for him, smashed against the top of the crossbar and over the net for a goal kick. Just a minute later, Henry found himself in the same position and glided an effort over Sylva, which struck the middle of the bar and rebounded out. The French became increasingly annoyed, but still could not beat the 'keeper.
The last ten minutes were not exactly the frantic affair that you may have imagined. Seemingly yet to fully acclimatise, France did not throw caution to the wind and as a result were unable to penetrate. Desailly rose well at the back post from a corner, but his effort was directed well wide of the goal. On 86 minutes Franck Leboeuf received a rebound from outside of the penalty box and wound up for an effort that, although powerful, was hit straight at Sylva. Senegal looked more comfortable on the ball, and even tried to play their way out of trouble, not even resorting to long hoofs upfield on running to the corner flags. Efforts by Henry and Leboeuf again were easily gathered by Sylva, and the referee closed the game to the shock of the whole world. Before the game, nobody thought that the African Nations Cup runners-up had a chance. The unthinkable had happened.
Final Score: France 0-1 Senegal. Attendance: 62,561. Referee: A Bujsaim (United Arab Emirates) 6
Player Ratings:
France (4-3-2-1): Barthez 6; Thuram 6, Desailly 7, Lebouef 5, Lizarazu 5; Petit 7, Viera 8, Djorkaeff 7 (Dugarry 60, 5); Henry 7, Wiltord 6 (Cisse 81, 5); Trezeguet 6. Subs not used: Rame, Candela, Christanval, Makele, Silvestre, Boghossian, Sagnol, Coupet, Micoud.
Booked: Emmanuel Petit
Senegal (5-4-1): Sylva 8; Daf 7, Coly 6, Cisse 6, Diatta 6, Papa Malick Diop 6; Moussa N'diaye 7, Fadiga 8, Papa Bouba Diop 7, Diao 6; Diouf 6. Subs not used: Ndour, Henri Camara, Traore, Souleymane Camara, Faye, Diallo, Thiaw, Sylvain N'diaye, Beye, Cissoko, Mahktar N'diaye.
Booked: Aliou Cisse
TLG Man Of The Match: Tony Sylva - in an impressive team performance, Sylva was the rock at the heart of the Senegalese effort, and did not look like he was going to be beaten throughout the game. Composed at set-plays and confident when handling long-range efforts, the only attempt on goal that would get past him would be a touch of genius. Sadly for the French, that did not happen.
Robert Craven